


How it's meant to be

by The_main_Battledancer, Xayah90



Series: Star Guardians [1]
Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Star Guardians (League of Legends), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:21:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 38,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25905010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_main_Battledancer/pseuds/The_main_Battledancer, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xayah90/pseuds/Xayah90
Summary: In the beginning of all things, the First Star gave its light to create the universe. New worlds were born - and with them, warriors imbued with the light of the First Star. These protectors are supernovas blazing bright, yet destined to collapse as furiously as they burn.They are the Star Guardians.But... can they change their destiny?
Relationships: Rakan/Xayah (League of Legends)
Series: Star Guardians [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2162046
Comments: 11
Kudos: 27





	1. Awaken

The first thing she notices is the twinkling of the stars, far away and yet they seem so close, as if she could touch them at any moment, as if they were her guides and companions, as if she could always rely on the sparkling stars. Her eyes burn, her lungs feel as if the last bit of air has been forced out of them, her heart beats painfully in her chest. Panting, Xayah straightens up, one hand pressed against her temple, her head feels as if it would burst into many little pieces at any moment. 

It takes a moment for her eyes to get used to the darkness around her, she looks around, her upper body bent forward so that a strand of her hair falls into her face. The strand is in a bright pink, another in a mint green, she wrinkles her forehead. 

_Has her hair always been pink and green?_   
_She doesn't think so, even if she's not sure._

Her eyes scan the surroundings more closely, she is in a clearing, around her are dried brushes and the leaves are gold-orange, it seems to be autumn, a cool breeze shakes the leaves of the nearby trees and causes shivers to spread over her body. 

_Where is she?_   
_And what might be even more important - how did she get here?_

A cold shiver runs down her back and Xayah shivers, the cold of the night slowly but surely creeps into her bones and she takes a look down at herself. Frightened, her eyes widen, her mouth slightly open as she looks down on her clothes in shock. She' s wearing a tight-fitting dress, which ends in a much too short skirt, golden ornaments stand out between all the white, pink and mint green. 

This time Xayah is absolutely sure that these clothes aren't hers, she would remember something like that! An uneasy feeling spreads inside her and without thinking she puts her hand on her chest before she withdraws it frightened when her hand brushes against something firm. Carefully she looks at the object that is embedded in a green bow and attached to her cleavage.

It' s a bright, mint green jewel in the shape of a four-pointed star, which is gently throbbing as she strokes her fingers over it again. The throbbing has a calming effect on her, even if her thoughts are still running wild. 

_What is going on here?_   
_Where is she?_   
_What has happened?_   
_And why can't she remember anything?_

Her pondering is suddenly interrupted when the ground starts trembling, so that Xayah falls to the ground again. Her legs are still too unsteady to carry her weight during this tremor. Not far away from her she can see the ground slowly cracking open, a loud crackling echoes through the night and the crack gets bigger and bigger by the second, while an awful, greenish light creeps through the crack and ghostly illuminates the darkness. 

Again Xayah straightens up, knocks the dust off her clothes and hesitantly walks towards the crack in the floor. The sounds from the abyss cause her hair to stand on end, while they come to the surface distorted. Clicking, howling, groaning. Nervously she swallows, taking another step closer, her gaze wandering down into the depths of the hole, it is so deep that she can' t see through to the bottom.

A movement deep inside is causing her to flinch and she retreats in shock, the throbbing of her jewel becomes stronger and shortly after that a beam of green light streams out and just a moment later a creature flutters around her, it' s pink and wears a kind of cloth in a similar green as the one in Xayah's outfit, a small golden jewel holds the cloth together at the tips.

Frightened, Xayah jumps backwards, emitting a pointed scream, while the creature, which seems to be a somewhat of a pink owl, slowly jumps towards her. The little owl tilts its head and looks at Xayah curiously with big eyes, while the clicking and clacking from the crack gets louder every time. 

Shortly afterwards, a figure climbs out of it like Xayah has never seen it before, a kind of scorpion with pointed outgrowths that grow up in the direction of its sting, its green eyes shining scary through the darkness. A smaller, faster creature climbs past him, its small legs leaving deep marks in the ground as it moves quickly towards Xayah. 

Without further delay, the little owl rises into the air and rushes towards the small creature, which moves threateningly fast in Xayah's direction. Its small beak repeatedly pierces the eyes of the creature, which makes a shrill sound similar to a scream. Frightened, Xayah presses her eyes together. 

_'This doesn't happen anyway. It's just a bad dream and you'll wake up soon'._

Once again the jewel throbs and she grabs it while the little owl floats in her direction and chirps softly. She frowns, even though she doesn't know why, but it seems as if deep inside she understands what the owl wants to tell her.

Astonished, she looks the little creature in the eyes, sighing softly. 'This is only a dream, so I can play along as well', it comes to her mind and she follows the instruction of the little owl, closes her eyes and concentrates on the magic inside her, looking down on her hand in surprise when she notices that something has manifested between her fingertips. 

Two fine feathers rest between her fingers, in the same pink as seen on her uniform, the edge in the same green. The scorpion slowly crawls towards her and again the little owl chirps something. Hesitantly Xayah nods, then she throws the first feather in the direction of the creature, miraculously hitting her target immediately, even if the second feather misses her target.

While she summons more featherdaggers, more monsters climb out of the crack, the most different manifestations spread over the clearing. For a short moment she has to swallow when her eyes spot sparkling stars in the night sky. She frowned, the sparkle seemed weird and yet familiar. As if she must know the light that shines in the sky, and yet it is a stranger to her. 

Her gaze wanders back to the creatures that climb out of the hole into the clearing and slowly but surely approach her, without thinking about it any further, she conjures up more feathers and hits her enemies, at least as best as she can. In the distance the lights come closer every second and without knowing why, a strong confidence fills Xayah's heart.

Her gaze wanders back to the sky, the lights are only a few blinks away, a smile flits across her lips. Then everything happens so quickly, the little owl chirps nervously, Xayah looks at her in surprise as a sharp pain rushes through her body, the air disappears from her lungs and she gets down on her knees. 

Blurred, she can still see the four lights hitting the clearing, blazing bright, then everything goes black.


	2. The Others

With a loud groan she straightens up, both hands pressed in front of her face, while she tries to order her thoughts. 'What a strange dream...' She shakes her head briefly before opening her eyes, humming softly. The room is plunged into deep darkness, even the hand in front of her eyes isn't visible. Yawning, she lets herself fall back into the pillow, she flinches. Somehow it feels softer than usual. Hesitantly, she shakes her head, remembering her dream once more.

She had woken up in a clearing and the hell had literally broken free there. And the bright, shining stars that came so close to her. What does this all mean?

Slowly Xayah straightens up, searching the floor for a carpet but her claws can't find it, before she gives up with a light sigh and walks over to the window to have a look at the night sky. The first thing she notices is that she is apparently still dreaming. 

The twinkling stars and the moon shining brightly over the buildings around her. But the skyline is new, she has never had this view before. Or has it?

She still can't remember anything, the first thing she can remember is the nightmare from last night. Hesitantly Xayah gropes her fingers over the spot where she was hit in her dream, to her surprise a slight pain runs through her side, spreading upwards. 

What the...?!

Horrified eyes stare at her from the reflection of the window and she has to swallow. Maybe it wasn't just a dream after all?! But if it wasn't a dream, then what was it? What happened? And where is she? 

A knock on the door tears her out of her desperate thoughts and she retreats behind a long curtain, so that a large part of her body is covered. "Yes?" Her voice is low and she looks over to the door with wide eyes as it opens. A tall figure stands in the door frame, bright light falls past him and into the room, slightly illuminating it. 

Her gaze glides briefly through the room, it seems to be decorated brightly, she can see the contours of a chest of drawers on one side, opposite the bed. The person steps a step further into the room, walking over to the bed and switching on a small lamp, which is on the bedside table. It is a young man, he seems to be a little older than she is, his mint green hair hangs openly down on his shoulders and his turquoise eyes look gently at her. "She has woken up!" He looks over his shoulder as his voice echoes across the room, then looks at her with a smile. "How are you? You've taken quite a smack, I hope the pain isn't too bad." 

She slides in a little deeper, lips pressed into a tight line as she stares at him with wide eyes. 'Who is this? And what is he doing in my room? How could he just come in here?' A cold shiver runs down her back and she retreats even further before her back hits the wall.

Panic rises in her and she stares at him in fear, in amazement he puts his head on a slant, one step towards her. "You don't need to be afraid. We are your new family. What is your name? Are you still in pain?"

He smiles gently at her again, reaching out a hand towards her. Distraught, she looks around, her eyes wandering over the surroundings, which are bathed in a cozy light by the small lamp on the bedside table. A thick branch hangs above the dresser, a garland of lights is wrapped around it and a pink ball of feathers sits on it. 

Xayah's eyes widen and she stares at the pink owl from her dream, sitting quietly on the branch, apparently sleeping, her head wedged under one of her wings. Abruptly she looks back at the stranger. 'He is not dangerous, is he? If he wants to hurt you, he would have done it already, right?' 

Hesitantly, she steps out from behind the curtain, one step towards him. Her eyes rest on his ears, just like herself he has long, feathery ears. 'He is a Lhotlan, just like me', it shoots through her mind. "Who are you? Where am I? And what happened?" Her voice trembles, she stops in the middle of the room, looking around. 

"Oh, I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Rakan, I'm the team's supporter and you're here in our home, _your_ home. We've been waiting for you to show up for a long time. But our leader will explain everything else." He gives her a sincere smile, while footsteps and voices are heard in the hallway. 

Shortly afterwards she sees a swirl of colours flying into the room and shortly afterwards she feels someone throwing themselves around her neck. Two more follow the unknown girl who threw herself around Xayah's neck, with a slight smile they look back and forth between the young man, Rakan, and the other two. "Neeko, let our sister catch her breath," laughs the girl, it's a happy, catchy laugh and if the whole situation wasn't so disturbing Xayah would surely laugh along. 

She strokes a strand of her peach-coloured hair from her face and throws a broad smile at her. "I'm sure you have lots of questions, don't you?" The other girl, who has thrown herself around Xayah's neck, lets go of her and sparkles at her with big, shining eyes before changing her shape and becoming an exact duplicate of Xayah, answered with a pointed scream. 

"Neeko, you are not supposed to imitate one of us. You're supposed to ask first...", the peach-blond girl sighs. "Excuse me, Neeko is always very excited and doesn't always think straight," she adds apologetically, whereupon Xayah nods slightly as she tries to recover from this shock. 

"By the way, I' m Ahri, I' m the pink jewel, the team leader," she shines at Xayah and then points from one to the other. "This is Sarah, the red jewel and my lieutenant. The girl who just threw herself around your neck is Neeko, as I said before, our golden jewel, and the young man who burst into your room so cheerfully is our blue jewel and the team's supporter." She smiles again and a strand of her hair falls back into her face, which Ahri brushes away again. 

Xayah looks at her questioningly, not understanding what is going on. 'Jewels? Team leader? Lieutenant? Supporter?' Confusion is written all over her face and Ahri laughs again. "Don't worry, after a while this doesn't seem half as confusing as it seems to you now. How is your injury? Has Rakan had time to look at it again?" Questioningly she looks over at the one mentioned.

"Does it look like I had the chance?"

Sarah smiles at him, one eyebrow raised. "Knowing you, I'd have thought you'd been done three times by now." Playfully indignant, Rakan slaps his hand against his chest, gasping for air but the sparkle in his eyes shows that he isn't serious. "We'll leave you two alone for now, so Rakan can take a good look at the injury in private. And afterwards we'll meet in the living room where we'll answer all your questions. As far as we can."

With another smile Ahri leaves the room, followed by Sarah, while Neeko and Rakan stay behind. Neeko - meanwhile looking like herself again - grabs Xayah's hair slightly, giggling softly. "Bird girl pretty! Neeko wishes Neeko looked like Bird Girl."

"Go to the others, we'll be with you soon," laughs Rakan and puts a hand on Neeko's shoulder, she nods cheerfully at him and runs out of the room, after the other two. Slowly Rakan walks over to the door, closing it tightly. Then he turns back to her, a light, apologetic smile on his lips. "The others are sometimes a bit overkill, especially Neeko. But believe me, they are really nice and happy that you are here. We have been waiting for you for a long time. We are finally completed and excitement is high, even though your first day in our team didn't go quite as we had hoped. Would you like to stay or lie down?" 

She looks at him blankly, forehead wrinkled. "To stay or lie down?" He looks at her in amazement, still smiling. "I have to look at your injury, either you remain standing and hold your top up, or you lie down and I'll look at the injury like this. Most of it I was able to heal while you were unconscious, now it's just refinements." She nods timidly, not sure if she really wants to endure this procedure.

"So, I'm going to feel over the wound and you tell me if you feel any pain. You'll feel a tingling sensation and you have to hold still for me to work my magic." Again he smiles, while she nods slightly, walks over to the bed and lies down slowly on it, closes her eyes and exhales clearly audibly. Hopefully at least it'll be quick. 

Carefully he pushes her top up, with gentle fingers and light pressure he drives over her side, where a severe injury was visible the day before, caused by a voidling. 

To his surprise she makes no sound, his eyes glide along her body and rest on her face. Her pain-distorted face. "You're supposed to let me know when you're in pain." He gently puts his hand on her shoulder and she shrugs slightly. "I... didn't want you to waste your magic. Magic is a resource we shouldn't waste." She turns her head to the side, looks away from him as she lightly bites her lower lip.

A quiet, amused laugh makes her look at him again, amazed at his reaction. "It isn't a waste if I take away your pain like this. So please tell me where the pain starts and where it ends. Otherwise I may have to use magic on a large area to make sure you're okay." 

Hesitantly she nods, closing her eyes, while Rakan searches her side again, this time she follows his request and tells him in which area she feels pain, gently he puts his palm on it, a green glow surrounds his hand and the mentioned tingling passes through her body and disappears together with the pain.

"Thank you." She smiles at him as well and straightens up and he gives her a hand. "You're welcome, I'm glad you're all right. Welcome to the family..." He hesitates, realizing that he still doesn't know what her name is. 

"Xayah", she smiles slightly, eyes fixed on her fingernails.


	3. Daily routine

  
When Rakan has left the room, she drops back onto her bed with a loud, relieved sigh, placing a hand on her chest and keeping her eyes closed. A sound causes her to flinch, pressing her eyes tighter for a brief moment before slowly opening them. On the bedside table sits the little owl, which had previously rested on the branch. " Hey there," mumbles Xayah. Her lips form a light smile. "Who are you?"

Excitedly, the owl chirps loudly, its plumage puffed up. Xayah's eyes widen and she stares at the feather ball in amazement. "You... understand what I' m saying?! And you can answer me?!" Her voice trembles, hesitantly reaching out to her little companion, who is just chirping cheerfully. "So your name is Saki. Hello little Saki," she giggles quietly, stroking her pink plumage carefully with a finger while she straightens up again.

Chirping happily, she jumps on Xayah's leg and looks at her with a pleading look. "But I don't even know them." Helplessly she looks down on her companion, who rises into the air and gently tweaks Xayah's ear, trying to get her to go to the others. 

"Hey", she laughs softly, reaching for Saki, who immediately releases her ear, moves around her head a few rounds and slides through the open gap of the door. Without thinking, she follows her, holding in the passage. Tentatively, she swallows before slowly walking down the hallway and glances briefly into the living room, where Saki has already sat down next to another, turquoise owl and relaxes with it head to head and her eyes closed. 

Two small creatures scuffle on the carpet in front of the big sofa and from time to time are punished by a disapproving look from the turquoise owl. With a slight smile she takes a step into the room, her eyes turn to the girl with the colorful hair, who has a cookie in her mouth and with another one feeds a big frog sitting on her lap. 

"There you are." The cheerful voice of the peach-blonde girl reaches her ears and makes Xayah flinch. She nods slowly, stopping at the spot. "Sit down with us," Rakan grins at her, tapping the seat next to him. She hesitates for a moment, stepping from one leg to the other, then closes her eyes and walks over to him, sitting next to him at a distance.

"You surely have a lot of questions," smiles the girl, to which Xayah nods. "Ahri, right?" she whispers, staring at her fingers. Out of the corner of her eye she can see the girl nodding, while her eyes are curiously fixed on her. "Where am I here? How did I get here? What has happened? What do you mean with jewels and all the other things you listed ...", she bites her lower lip, starting to play with her fingers.

"You are at home with us, your new home. We are the only ones living here. It's a little private so we can relax after the fights without anyone noticing." Ahri smiles at her, brushing a strand of her hair from her face. She points with one hand to Rakan, who nods slightly at her. "You were wounded in battle and were unconscious when we arrived. We sent the rest of the voidlings back to where they came from and then brought you here and treated your wounds." He smiles at her again, making her nod slightly.

"As for the whole jewels thing... Well it's a long story for another time, you have heard enough for now and we will tell you everything we know in a few days." She smiles brightly at her, receiving another nod from Xayah.

"You have kept quite a few of them under control for being alone. Respect, girl," Sarah interrupts, leaning forward slightly and looking at her more closely. 

"I'm Xayah, by the way," she whispers, looking at her fingers again. "But that's all I can remember." She strokes a strand of her hair from her face, not averting her eyes from her fingers. Shocked, she looks up as a hand rests on her shoulder, looking directly into Rakan's smiling eyes. "You don't have to be ashamed or feel bad or anything like that. None of us can remember our lives before all this. We were chosen by the First Star and we all can't remember anything that happened before that." Slowly she nods, a slight smile forms on her lips. 

"Welcome home, sister," laughs Ahri, throwing herself around Xayah's neck.

  
~ * ~

Her eyes skim across the open sheet on the table while she sits in front of it pondering and can' t decide which of the activities to choose. With a loud sigh, Xayah lets her head fall onto the table with her eyes closed. The first days at her new school had been exhausting, most students were rather reserved towards her. The suffering of new students. 

To her relief, at least the others, except for Neeko, are in her class, so she doesn't feel quite as lonely. Catching up on the lessons was the least of her problems and she caught up quickly. "Can't decide, huh?" Surprised, she looks up, right into Sarah's smiling face. Slowly she shakes her head. "I'm not sure, I'm stuck between dance class and music." 

Sarah smiles. "Why not both? I'm on two teams too, the football team and the cheerleaders. When activities take place at the same time, I'm with the football players." Xayah looks at the list in surprise, nodding slightly. "And where are the others?" 

"Oh, Ahri is with the cheerleaders, Rakan in the dance club and Neeko in the textile and artist club," she counts, receiving a surprised look from Xayah. "Rakan is in the dance club? I actually thought it was more of a girls' club," she giggles, which makes Sarah burst into loud laughter, nodding. "Yes, we were surprised too. And I think he's in the music club, but he doesn't talk much about it, mostly just about the dance club and how bad the others are, that he doesn't have a proper dance partner." She winks at Xayah. "I rather think that he's stepping on the other girls' toes and that he's the problem." 

"I rather think he's stepping on the other girls' toes and that he's the problem." 

With outstretched chest Sarah prances along the table, gesturing with one hand while the other hand is on her chest, imitating Rakan in a deep yet high pitched voice. "They don't get it! Their steps don't match the music! The rhythm is totally wrong! You have to listen to your heart, not to whatever instructions you are given."

For a moment Xayah struggles against the urge to laugh out loud, but Sarah's performance bitterly fails her attempt. Astonished, Rakan steps through the door, glancing at Sarah, before his eyes fall on Xayah, who is laughing with tears running down her cheek. He puts his hand on his hip, the other on his chest. " It' s not my fault that the others are simply incapable, dancing is a matter of feeling, either you can do it or you fail. It's just not fair that I have to deal with these bad dancers! Making fun of my suffering Sarah, arent you?" He then turns to Xayah and looks at her with his mouth trickily drawn and says "What do you think, Xayah?" 

And that was his breaking point. He burst out laughing along with the two of them until he had to stop and take a breath, tears of laughter now on his own cheeks... "Ah what a laugh" he said after a while looking between the other two and then added "You will pay for that, Sarah." A playful smile moves across his lips "Will I?" Sarah chuckles breathless, still recovering from the laughter to which Rakan responds with a broad grin. Still laughing,

His mouth is trickily drawn, even though a short moment later he can't hold back the grin anymore and starts laughing out loud. Still laughing, Xayah wipes her hand over her cheeks, wiping away the tears, before she reaches for her pen and writes two little marks on the paper, folding it together and putting it to the side. "Thank you," she grins at Sarah, receiving a nod. "We were going to order dinner tonight, I hope you like Asian food?" 

For a brief moment she scratches the back of her head, giving Sarah an apologetic look. "Oh, right, you might want to try it before you decide," she laughs, slapping her hand against her forehead. They look at each other briefly before they start laughing again.

  
~ * ~

After they finished with their food Xayah noticed that Ahri was looking at her and was propably preparing to say something. "So Xayah" said Ahri "when you first met us you had some questions and we answered most of them. But there was one that I kept for later and think that now is the time to talk to you about the meaning behind our gems.." Ahri smiled softly and Xayah nodded.

Then she continued "There are 5 different colors, Pink, Red, Yellow, Green Blue and Violet and each represent the role and personality of their owner. As you can see I have the Pink gem, which means I am the leader of this group. I am responsible for all of you and call the shots. Dont get intimidated by my so called rank, we are a family and in a family everyone is equally important. "

She made a pause then, to give Xayah the time to think before moving on "Sarah has the Red gem which makes her a lieutenant, she has a fiery personality and helps me when im planning something out, in situations that im not around she has the authority to take the lead".

"Neeko has the Yellow Gem and she is the youngest member of our family. She is always positive and friendly, plus she helps us see the bright side of things whenever Darkness falls upon us" she stops and gives Neeko, who is looking at her with amazed eyes, a bright smile.

"But she really needs to grow up at some point" says Rakan with a smile on his face "Look who's talking" Sarah answers laughing as she throws a pillow towards him from where she is sitting. Rakan barely dodges it and sticks his tongue out to her playfully. "Ok Children can I please continue?" asks Ahri and before anyone can answer goes on.

"Now for the Green gem... Yours! Green gems are the ones closest to the first star and can see things the rest of us cant because of it..." "And that makes you special!" says Rakan with a soft smile. Xayah turns her attention to him smiling back, while feeling a blush creeping on her cheeks.

"And now the Blu-..." and before she can continue Rakan jumps in. "The blue gem! That's me! We blue gems are just amazing, we are here to look out for all of you and protect you at all cost. I can also use my magic to heal your wounds as you already now! All in all I've got your back!" Rakan looks at her at her straight in the eyes and she can feel the blood Rush to her face before he looks away. "Yes thanks for that Rakan..." Ahri looks annoyed at Rakan who answers with a proud smile. 

Then Neeko pulled on Xayah's sleave with light force so that she could get her attention. "Neeko was wondering if Xayah has any questions?" Xayah looked at the Yellow Guardian and noticed that the others were waiting for her answer. She tilted her head slightly and thought about it, but she was satisfied with their explanation so she shook her head and smiled at them. "If I have any questions, I will let you know."

"Alright then, let's get ready for bed it is late and you all need to rest" Said Ahri and everyone got up and headed to their rooms while she started to deal with the mess on the table.  
"I could help you with that" said Xayah as she didnt want to leave Ahri to deal with this chaos all by herself. The Pink guardian looked at her new Sister and smiled "you dont need to.." "But I want to!" She looked at her for a moment and nodded "Ok just grab those plates and put them in the sink." So she did, happy that her friend allowed her to help. When they were done they wished each other goodnight and went to get some much needed sleep.


	4. Unexpected trouble

A loud sound tears Xayah rudely from her sleep, dozily rubbing her hand over her eyes, with the other hand searching for her mobile phone. With a quick movement she activates the light on it and looks at the clock, sighing softly as the display lights up at 05:00am. 

Grumbling sleepily, she turns around, closing her eyes again, only to realize shortly afterwards that she can' t fall asleep anymore. With a loud sigh she straightens up again, turning on the small lamp on her bedside table, which bathes the room in warm light. Her gaze moves through the room, over the white furniture, while she leans timidly against the wall, slightly flinching as her skin touches the cold cast-iron. 

A rustling causes her to flinch again and she focuses on the spot where the sound came from. Saki jumps merrily through the imitation ivy that warps the frame of her bed as she slowly approaches her. A light smile spreads on Xayah's lips while she gently caresses the soft plumage under Saki's beak with a finger.

Cheerfully she chirps to it, receiving an surprised look in response. For a moment Xayah is silent while she looks over to the window. Faint daylight passes through the thin curtains, promising the dawning of the day. "The others are really nice," she whispers quietly, looking down at Saki. "I just haven't found my place between them yet. And..." She breaks off, whipping the blanket to the side and walking over to the window, before she gives Saki another quick glance, a light smile on her lips. "The others are such good friends and I just don't fit in. I don't know how I should become a part of this group." 

She sighs softly, sliding the curtain a little to the side while Saki sits on the windowsill and looks at her with head tilted, chirping softly. Gently she looks down at the owl, again stroking lovingly through its plumage and nodding slowly. "You are right."

Rakan wasn't a morning person, not really. So when he looked at the wooden clock he had placed on the wall and saw how early it still was, he decided to sit in bed for a while and think about the glorious prank he has been planning to pull on Ezreal today. At last his belly started to protest, pulling him out of his thoughts and he checked the time again. 'Time for breakfast', he thought. He got up and searched for a shirt to wear as he currently wore none.

He liked to sleep with as little clothing as possible on, because he otherwise felt trapped. He finally found a light blue long sleave shirt (one of his favorites as it was one of the most comfortable) and put it on. He reached for his little pocket mirror on his nightstand and checked his hair, just to make sure nothing was too out of place. Satisfied with himself he got put of the room and went straight for the kitchen

Quietly a song breaks the silence, slowly and gently, and she looks over in surprise to her bedside table before running over with quick steps, turning off the alarm clock on her cell phone. "Come little one, time for breakfast," she laughs softly, opening the door before she steps outside, still in her thin nightgown, closely followed by Saki.

Startled, she leaps a step backwards and falls to the ground as the door next to the stairs opens without any warning and Rakan steps out in good mood. He looks at her in amazement as she scratches the back of her head and smiles at him with embarrassment while blushing. "Good morning, Xayah. I know im breathtaking, but you dont have to fall head over heels for me..." then he paused and a playfull smile danced on his lips "... quite literaly!" he continued and started to laugh softly looking her in the eyes. And for that she hits his upper arm ever so gently. "Hey! What was that for!" he cried out playing hurt. "Good morning Rakaaan" she replied with a smile, feeling the blush on her face.

Her voice is nothign more then a whisper, smiling he looks at her before they walk back down the stairs and enter the open living room, wandering over to the kitchen. "I wanted to make cocoa, would you like some?" Rakan smiles cheerfully at her, receiving a slow nod from her in reply. "I'd love some," she mumbles softly, her eyes on the floor. "Can I help you with something?"

He shakes his head laughing, nodding to one of the chairs before he starts whistling in his good mood, so that Saki rises into the air a moment later and flutters around his head. Amused, he looks at the little owl, nodding to it. "Too bad that Riku isn't as cheerful as your little friend here." 

His laughter makes her flinch again and she looks at him in wonder as he stands in front of a pot and heats the cocoa in it. "Yes, she is very nice," she whispers in a beeping voice, slightly blushing and getting a surprised look from Rakan, before he turns back to the pot with a light smile on his lips. 

She quickly jumps up, running over to one of the shelves, grabbing two plates and placing them on the table before reaching for the bread basket and placing it on the table as well. For a brief moment she looks around, looking for something, going to another shelf and getting some toppings from the shelf, which she places on the dining table. 

"Could you get two cups for me?" Rakan asks with a smile as he looks through the spice rack and sniffs with satisfaction when he finds the cinnamon, adding a pinch of it to the cocoa. "Of course," she says quickly, opening the shelf door and standing on the tips of her claws, searching for two cups. As her fingertips touch the cold porcelain, she reaches out a little further and loses her balance. Without meaning to, she falls against Rakan, who bumps into the pot in shock and spills the contents over the floor and his shirt. "Oh damn it," he curses loudly, his eyes fixed on the big stain on his top, knowing that it will take a lot of effort to remove it.

Frightened, Xayah straightens up, looking at him with big eyes, while her face takes on a bright red tone. "I' m so, so sorry Rakan!" For a moment she buries her face in her hands and just as he is about to reply, she turns around and runs out of the kitchen, up the stairs and back to her room. 

Surprised by her reaction he looks after her, a slight smile on his lips as Sarah enters the room. "What was that with Xayah?" she asks irritated, looking at Rakan questioningly. When she sees the smile on his lips, she can' t suppress a broad grin. "That was faster than expected."

He looks at her questioningly, pouring the remaining cocoa into cups and putting two slices of bread on one of the plates and sprinkling some honey on them before he grabs two of the cups and the plate and leaves the kitchen as well. 

"And what about all that cocoa on the floor?" Surprised, Sarah looks after him, before he turns around and grins at her. "Have fun." Taking two steps at a time, he runs up the stairs, putting the plate on the cups and knocking on Xayah's door before he leaves the plate and one of the cups at the door and enters the bathroom sipping on his cup.

  
'Ok Rakan pull yourself together... But what was Sarah talking about? Could it-... Nooo no way, there is no way.. Or is there? Nah.. But do I? Possibly...' he sighs 'Maybe, but let it get to you buddy, you can deal with it! Right? Of course! Ok.. Ok... Water!' he thinks and pours some water on his face.. 'Now what do i do?... A song? It always helps me relax, yeah lets go for a song' and so he start singing, the sound not too low but neither too high. 

He starts with the back of his hair, making sure nothing is out of place, pulling his pocket mirror and holding it in an angle so that with the help of the bathroom mirror he can see back there. 'Yeah perfect... As always!' he thinks before turning his attention to the front of his hair. After alot of mixing around he heard Xayah talking with one of the other girls... 'Is that Sarah? Could be!'

"Hey Sarah, so I was wondering is there another bathroom, so I can get ready?"  
"No sadly, only two, and im waiting for Ahri to get out and Neeko is next..."  
"Oh... Ok I guess i'll wait for Rakan then"  
And with that Sarah starts laughing and Xayah is looking at her surprised. "Why are you laughing? Did I say something funny?"  
"No, it's just that Rakan takes alot of time in there, but suit yourself!"  
"Oh I see... Fine, thanks for letting me know"  
"You're welcome"

As Xayah is about to go for the other bathroom she sees Neeko in the corridor.  
"Good morning Neeko, how did you sleep?"  
Neeko turns and looks at Xayah, while a bright smile forms on her face.  
"Neeko feels a little sleepy, but Ahri says its normal waking up sleepy! How Xayah is? Did Xayah sleep well?" Xayah takes a minute to appreciate the concern in Neeko's voice

"Yeah I slept well, and im happy to hear you did too" she replied with a soft look at her friend, who still had a brilliant smile on her face. Then Xayah heard a door open and turned around, hoping to see it was her turn, but Instead she saw Ahri. "Good morning Ahri, how are you?" she asked with a smile on her lips "Xayah, hey, im feeling wonderful, how about you?"  
"Im waiting for Rakan to get out of the bathroom so that I can finally get ready!"

she said almost shouting the last few words so that maybe Rakan can hear her. "Im trying to be as fast as possible!" answered Rakan from the bathroom "Singing and dancing around doesnt really help with that does it?" responded Xayah, but Rakan had already returned to singing. Ahri flashed Xayah a knowing smile and nodded, laughing lightly "Good luck with that sister" Xayah smiled back and returned back to her post. And then finally Rakan opened the door...

  
The moment the door to the bathroom opens, she quickly turns around, running over to the door and pushing Rakan roughly to the side, while she slams the door behind her into the lock, opening the water and reaching for her toothbrush. 

With a quick movement she slips her nightgown over her head and starts to wash as soon as possible, because thanks to Rakan she doesn't have enough time to take a shower. Quickly rubbing the washcloth over her skin, she looks over to the door. "What the hell took you so long?!" she curses loudly, looking at the door. 

To her surprise, he seems to be standing nearby and his voice reaches her ears. "I created art! Never rush artists!" She looks at the door in disbelief before she grabs a towel and wraps it around her body as quickly as possible, before she steps over to the door and opens it with a determined grip, looking at him with a mixture of anger and disbelief. 

" Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Surprised, he looks at her, one hand fixing his tie while the other holds his jacket loosely over his shoulder. "No, absolutely not. Time in the bathroom is a sacred ritual, maybe you should try it." His eyes wander along her body and without meaning to, his face turns dark red, while she' s also blushing. 

"Ahri... do you need help down there?" he shouts loudly, turning around and hurrying down the hallway while Xayah looks after him, still red in the face. "I would try if you would give me more than two minutes!" Her voice falters slightly as she closes the door again, turns around to the sink and holds herself there.

Her thoughts turn over, nervously biting her lower lip before her cell phone starts ringing again, telling her that she has just 15 minutes left until class starts. "Shit! Shit! Shit," she curses, getting dressed as quickly as possible and running out of the bathroom, down the stairs and grabbing her backpack before running past the others. "Gone so quickly?", Ahri shouts after her in surprise.

"I'm late, should be there already," she shouts from the door, tearing it wide open. "See you later!" With this she runs out of the door, onto the street and towards the bus stop.

Ahri looks over at him in amazement, while Rakan sits slightly hunched up at the dining table, his face buried in his hands. "Hey Rakan, what's wrong? Did something happen? And don't you have to leave too?" The only answer she gets from him is a loud, theatrical sigh, whereupon Ahri just rolls her eyes. 

"Wait... what? She has left?" He tears his head out of his hands, looking at Ahri with eyes wide open, while a slight smile creeps across her lips. "Yes, a few minutes ago. She said she was in a rush. Don't you have classes this morning, too?" Her smile turns into a slight grin, while Rakan gives her a short nod. "The bus is already gone anyway," he smiles hesitantly, prompting Ahri to tighten her brows and look at him questioningly.

"You're acting somewhat odd," she smiles slightly, receiving a surprised look from Rakan. "What are you talking about?" With an even wider grin she looks at him, her face resting on the palm of her hand. "Oh, you'll notice it yourself soon enough." 

Irritated, he looks at her before he shrugs his shoulders slightly, straightens up and walks towards the door, grabbing his jacket as he passes by. Completely lost in thought, he heads in the direction of the bus stop when he sees Xayah walking in the distance. Without thinking about it, he runs ahead, putting a hand on her shoulder from behind, causing her to flinch in shock. 


	5. A stroll in the park

"Ah! Oh, God, Rakan, you almost scared me to death!" Startled, she looks at him, one hand pressed against her chest, which rises and falls faster than usual through the shock, before a slight smile flits across her lips. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." A warm smile spreads across his face as he glides a hand through his hair. "It's okay, next time just warn me before you jump on me." Laughing softly, she looks at him, covering her face with one hand while a slight redness runs across her cheeks. 

"I didn't jump on you! I barely touched you!" 

She looks at him in indignation as her hand slides to the strap of her backpack before she slowly walks on and a slight smile creeps across her lips. "You know what I actually meant."

"Yeah... okay, all right," he mumbles softly, stroking the back of his head with one hand while looking at her. "Won't happen again..." he quickly adds before running after her and walking next to her again shortly afterwards. For a brief moment his heart leaps as he sees the tender smile on her lips.

"We're coming too late..." she mumbles, more to herself than to him, while her eyes are fixed on the ground. "Yep, we will," he agrees laughing, before tilting his head slightly to the side and looking at her attentively. "What's wrong?" She looks at him in amazement before her gaze sinks to the ground again and she nervously begins to play with a strand of her pink hair. "It's just... oh, it's all right. Just forget it."  
  
"Hey, come on. Tell me, what's going on? Maybe I can help you." His forehead wrinkles slightly and he looks at her from the side, slight concern in his gaze. "Oh... ...it might be stupid... but..." She breaks off, biting her lower lip again. His hand is placed gently on her shoulder and he looks at her with a reassuring smile. "What is it, Xayah? You don't have to worry, I'm not making fun of you or anything." 

She stops abruptly, her hands gripping tighter around the straps of her backpack, so her ankles turn slightly white. "It's just... I'm new here... and I'm a little worried that the others will start bulling me if I make any mistakes. That they'll laugh at me or embarrass me. Or just hate me. I know you can't understand that..." Ashamed, she turns her eyes away, biting her lower lip once more.

Gently he places his hand under her chin and she shrugs slightly at the touch, but his gesture serves its purpose and she looks him straight in the eyes. "I would never let this happen." Timidly she looks into his eyes, a shy smile on her lips. "What do you mean?" He takes a step closer to her, eyes fixed on her while she holds her breath. 

"I would never ever accept any harm being done to you. Neither here at school, nor during any of our missions."

His heart is beating up to his neck and for a short moment his mind is running wild before he takes a step back and smiles apologetically at her. "Neither you, nor any of the others. I protect you," he adds evasively, fighting against the rising warmth inside him, hoping that she won't notice anything while he puts on a gentle yet confident smile.

With a light nod she returns his smile, while relief spreads through her. Even if she doesn't know why, she can feel that he's telling the truth, that he meant it honestly. Maybe it's because of the tone of his voice or the way he looked at her, but at that very moment she just knows that she is safe at his side.

"Xayah?"

She looks at him in confusion as he tears her from her thoughts, she smiles shyly, her head slightly tilted to the side while a soft giggle comes out of her mouth. "So, I thought, if we're going to be late anyway and miss this lesson, we might as well go for a walk and I'll show you the neighbourhood a bit". With a hopeful smile he looks at her as she hesitantly steps from one foot to the other and nervously bites her lower lip, so that Rakan can' t help but smile. "I don't know... I don't want to make my situation worse," she mumbles quietly, looking at him apologetically.

He laughs softly, so she looks at him in bewilderment. "Don't worry about that. If anyone causes problems, I will take the blame for everything." For a moment her smile widens and she taps her fingertip against his chest, grinning slightly at him. "As a matter of fact, it's your fault. If you hadn't put so much attention on your so-called 'art', we both would have left much earlier. At least I would have, you were finished before me." Smiling, he looks down at her, losing himself for a moment in her eyes, which he considers to be shining like the stars. 

"Well...umm...I.. ehhh ok i guess I might be the one to blame for that..." he laughs softly, but Xayah is still looking at him expectantly. "Ookay yeah, you are right it is my fault ..." he added with a soft smile, scratching the back of her head, which makes her laugh again softly. "So what do you think? Shall we go to the park now?" She nods slightly, smiling broadly at him, before walking past him and stopping after a few steps, turning around and looking at him a little helplessly as she scratches her fingernail across her cheek in embarrassment, giggling softly. "I don't know which way to go." For a moment Rakan looks at her in amazement before he bursts into loud laughter and runs over to her to take the lead.

  
Laughing, he leads them into a side road, pointing with one hand to a large meadow, which ends in a large playground on one side, while the other side is separated by a path that leads deeper into the park. With a slight smile they follow the path, while Xayah watches some children playing in the distance before her gaze moves over some flowers that move slightly with the wind, while the almost bare, hanging branches of a willow tree blow in the wind and spread their orange-red leaves on the water of the lake below.

"Beautiful", she whispers as she absorbs the beauty of nature. The ground at her feet is largely covered with leaves that have fallen to the ground from the tall and proud trees, transforming the scenery into a red-orange-brown work of art.

With a gentle smile he looks at her from the side, resisting the urge to grab her around the waist and lead her this way. "Isn't it? I love this place. Whenever I want or need some time for myself, I come here. When I need to clear my mind or calm down. Or just want to enjoy the view." The smile on his lips becomes wider as he sees her nodding in understanding, his eyes shining with joy. "I see what you mean," she whispers softly, her eyes fixed on a single branch whose last leaf is dancing in the wind.

"I want to show you something", he whispers, reaching for her hand, stopping in motion and letting his hand sink again. From the side, she looks at him curiously, following him with quick steps through the park, while turning her head in all directions to absorb as many impressions as possible.

After a few minutes, a formation of trees appears in her view and the closer they come, the more Xayah becomes aware that it is a branched alley. She looks at him with wide eyes, shining even more brightly than before, which makes the smile on his lips a little wider.

Slowly they step under the structure of branches that meet above their heads and intertwine to form a beautiful and romantic picture. With her mouth slightly open, Xayah gazes at the branches that have intertwined above their heads before her eyes turn back to Rakan. "This is breathtaking", she exclaims before she takes another step into the alley. 

With a mixture of curiosity and satisfaction he looks after her carefully before he follows her slowly, burying his hands in his pockets. "Do you like it?" As she turns to him, her face is lit by a few rays of sunlight which fall through the branches and make her eyes shine even more than before and without knowing why his heart leaps in his chest. "Yes", she nods excitedly, looking around with eyes wide open. "Yes, Rakan, it's so beautiful here." 

"Come with me, there's a bench up ahead," he laughs softly, pointing his hand in the direction in question, before he walks over and sits down on the bench, looking at her expectantly. With a slight smile on her lips, she follows him, placing her backpack next to the bench before sitting down next to him, holding a hand in front of her mouth, hoping to cover the slight redness on her cheeks.

"You know...", he said after a while, bending forward slightly, his head to the ground and his eyes fixed on the leaf-covered ground. "This is where the others found me when I woke up. I was surrounded by voidlings and didn't know what to do. 

He raises his head, his eyes fixed on the intertwined branches, while he straightens up again. "And then Ahri and Sarah appeared, who fought the creatures with such determination that they gave me the strength to overcome my fear... 

He pauses for a long time before he continues, his eyes fixed directly on Xayah, while he gently takes one of her hands in his own. " After the fight they took care of me and made me feel safe and understand that we were a team, a family by now... I didn't know my place in all this, it was hard to understand and sometimes it was too much. But through all this I have met so many wonderful people. People I can trust."

He pauses once more and looks at Xayah, who has been silent all the time. "What I want to say is that I understand how you feel. Sometimes it may be too much and I want you to know that we are here for you. Ahri, Sarah, especially Neeko has closed you into her heart. And of course I'm always there for you as well, always. If you need someone to talk to, someone to listen to your worries or just to give you a hug and show you that you aren't alone, don't hesitate. Just talk to us about it. We are your family, we are always here for you." 

With a broad smile he looks over to her, straightening up, happy about his little speech. "I don't know what to say..." she whispers with a light smile on her face, while her cheeks turn a distinct red tone and she plays nervously with a strand of her hair. "You don't need to say anything," he whispers, grabbing her backpack and throwing it over her shoulder as she gives him a questioning look, which he answers with a slight shake of his head before they continue their walk.

Laughing, they walk along the path that leads through the park, when he notices in surprise that her eyes begin to shine even more brightly than before and without saying a word she runs off, leaping into a large pile of leaves that has been gathered by the side of the path before she looks at him with a cheerful laugh.

The smile on his lips becomes wider and again his heart makes a quick jump, her laughter music to his ears. ' She' s so cute, so innocent', it comes to his mind as she suggests he should join her in the pile of leaves. With a laugh he shakes his head, refusing her offer, while he reaches for his mobile phone and takes an unnoticed photo of her. For a moment his eyes rest on the picture and an unknown warmth rises inside him.

With a light snort she notices that he is distracted by his phone, with a broad grin she grabs as many leaves as possible before she throws them in his face, which he notices with a surprised look. She giggles softly as she sees his expression, and she stops as soon as she sees him grabbing a large pile of leaves himself, which he throws at her shortly afterwardsbefore dropping her backpack and jumping into the leaves, causing most of them to float in the air.

Without thinking, she reaches out, trying to catch some, before she remains lying on them, breathing heavily and looking at him laughing. Grinning broadly, he lets himself fall beside her, turning his face towards hers. "Your hair is all messy", she giggles softly, looking at him with bright eyes, while his grinning gives way to a loving smile. "Is it? I hadn't even noticed. There are more important things right now."

His voice is as soft as velvet, while he doesn't take his eyes off her and his smile becomes wider. "I never thought it could be so much fun to be late for school," she laughs gently, looking deep into his eyes, receiving a laugh from him in reply. He reaches for his mobile again, opening the camera. "Say Cheese", he laughs softly as she shouts 'Cheese' with a loud laugh and looks straight into the camera while he can' t take his eyes off her. 

She looks around curiously as her eyes widen in delight and the very next moment she jumps up, running to the exit of the alley, while Rakan grabs her backpack and follows her in amazement. In the distance he sees her crouching, one hand reaching out, while a black cat sits a few steps away, slowly cleaning itself while watching the unexpected guest. 

As Rakan approaches, the kitten shrugs its ears and runs away shortly afterwards, closely followed by Xayah, who follows her across the playground. When the cat comes to a halt under the slide, Xayah stops too, gets down on her knees and looks at the animal with big, excited eyes. "Hello Kitty!" she laughs cheerfully, looking up in surprise as the cat runs off again. She jumps up immediately, running after her, while Rakan slowly follows her. 

He stops abruptly, his eyes widening and a distinct shade of red rushes into his face, while Xayah hangs in a bush on her knees and with her upper body in the bush, while her skirt has risen so far that he can see a large part of her thighs. 'Oh crap,crap,crap, not now! COME ON' he thought, his mind and heart racing. "Meow!" he can hear out of the bush as she begins to move and leave the bush. 'She's coming out... ACT normal, focus dammit'

As she stands in front of him shortly afterwards, she looks at him with concern, her forehead slightly wrinkled 'Oh dear, she knows...'. "Rakan! What's happened, you've got a bloody nose," she exclaims, taking her backpack from him and looking for a tissue inside. " A what?" he asks but doesn't get answer 'Oh you have to be kidding me, embarrassing...' he thought, feeling ashamed. "Wait, I'll help you. Just hold still." While she pats the tissue across the blood trail and presses another one into his hand, he can feel his heart beating up to his ears.

"Thank you," he mumbles, 'well wasnt so bad after all' his eyes turned to the ground as she throws him a gentle smile and they set off for school together.they set off for school together.


	6. Steps

Timidly, Xayah glances at the clock, biting her lower lip hoping to suppress her smile. Just a few more minutes and the detention ends for her. She places her head on the table, unable to suppress her smile. Behind her, something scratches across the linoleum floor and she flinches slightly as an arm scrapes her side shortly afterwards before Ezreal leaves the room.

"Hey, what's wrong? It's just detention," smiles Rakan as she mumbles something into the tabletop that he can't quite catch. For a moment he frowned, looking at her attentively from the side. He slides his chair a step backwards, causing her to raise her head and look at him with teary eyes. 

He stops abruptly, his shoulders sinking slightly as a single tear runs down her cheek. "Hey, it's just detention, no reason to cry..." he mumbles, giving her an encouraging look, her fingertips stroking her cheek, as she looks at him with slightly trembling lower lip. 

"Don't cry, everything will be all right, I promise," he whispers, handing her a handkerchief from his pocket while she looks at him with big eyes. "Huh? I didn't even noticed I was crying," she laughs shyly, turning her gaze away from him as she slowly reaches out for the handkerchief. 'What's going on? Why am I crying even though I' m so happy? Detention isn't all that great, but the time we spent together was totally worth it', it flashes through her mind as the smile on her face grows a little wider and she blushes slightly.

"It would get dirty," she mumbles softly, blushing a little more as he laughs softly. "It's no big deal", he laughs softly, looking at her gently as she pats her eyes with the handkerchief. She looks up in surprise as her mobile phone starts vibrating in her pocket. Slowly she takes it out of her pocket, looking at the message she has received. 

To her great surprise it' s from an unknown number and when Xayah opens it, a wide smile spreads over her lips. With bright eyes she looks at him before her gaze turns back to the photo from the park which they had taken together earlier and which he had sent her, then she looks at him again, still smiling.

Without saying anything, he returns her smile before he notices in surprise that her forehead wrinkles and her smile gives way to a questioning look. "How did you get my number?" He looks at her in confusion as his face takes on a slight red tone and he nervously strokes the back of his head with one hand. "Um... Yes... eh... I have it from the group Ahri has added us all to", he laughs, his voice seems to be faster and higher than usual. 

For a short moment she stares at him blankly before she starts laughing loudly, while he relaxes and starts to laugh as well. The ringing of the school bell causes them both to shrug before they start laughing again as they look into each other's eyes. "You could have left a long time ago," he smiles softly, and she blushes slightly, beginning to play with a strand of her hair without replying. 

With quick steps Xayah runs down the corridor and out into the bright sunshine, looking at the orange-yellow leaves hanging from the trees and through which the light falls, illuminating her face with a golden glow. For a brief moment Rakan holds his breath as he sees her standing there, bathed in golden light, her eyes sparkling like a sky full of stars. 

She looks over to him excitedly, stepping from one foot to the other while clutching her backpack. When he still hasn't moved for a few moments, she runs over to him, grabbing his hand and dragging him behind her. "Come on, Rakan", she laughs happily, giving him a gleaming smile. "I can' t wait." His heart beats faster as he hears her giggling and for a moment he would love to stop, hold her tightly in his arms and never let her go.

"You're so excited", he laughs, pressing her hand tighter for a moment while she turns her head back in his direction and nods clearly to him, her eyes still shining brightly. "Yes, I really can't wait," she laughs cheerfully, throwing him an even wider smile as she hurries along the path with slightly bouncing steps before stopping at a large building. "This is it?"

He takes a step closer to her, looking down on her lovingly as he nods. "Right, this is the studio. Divided into the dance and music club. But the music club just meets every two weeks, so you don't hear much about them." He gives her his most charming smile as he steps over to the door and holds it open for her. "Hey Xayah, since you missed your lunch break earlier when you stayed with me... would you like to have a snack after the club?"

She smiles shyly at him as her cheeks turn a light pink and she steps through the entrance while he keeps the door open for her. "Yes, gladly! And Rakan... thank you," she whispers, looking down at the ground as she plays with a strand of her hair. Smiling, he leads her through the building before he stops at the women's changing room and says goodbye, knowing that he will see her again soon. 

  
Rakan looks around the large hall impatiently, looking for Xayah, and as he sees the door to the women's changing room open slightly, his heart beats up to his neck and he hears the blood rushing in his ears.

His eyes slide along her body, caught on the fine white lace that serves as a sleeve. Above it she wears a plain white shirt and a rose-coloured, airy skirt, while her legs are covered by mint green leggings. He approaches her with a broad smile, holding out his arm to her.

"My Lady." His smile becomes softer as he holds out his arm to her, which she grabs with a slight giggle and lets him lead her to one of the large windows, while they talk to each other quietly whispering and waiting for the teacher.

With a satisfied grin, Rakan looks at her from the side as she giggles softly and her cheeks turn slightly red as the teacher enters the room and begins to separate them into pairs. To Rakan's great disappointment, Xayah ends up with Walden, one of their classmates, instead of him. She gives him a sad glance as she walks over to her dance partner. 

'With Walden?...Really? I can accept that im not her partner, but that guy? He is a douche! Hardly knows how to dance. Poor Xayah...I hope she doesn't give up after this.' Disgusted, Rakan retracts his mouth before looking over to his own dancing partner, who, although he doesn't like to admit it, doesn't necessarily look bad. Her black hair hangs slightly wavy over her shoulders, some pink bands woven into it, while she wears a black shirt and black leggings, over which she wears a thin, dark purple skirt, which fits perfectly to her also purple leg wraps. Surprised he notices that her eyes are almost the same colour as his training trousers - a dark turquoise. Without meaning to, his eyes glide past his partner, resting on the back of Xayah's head. 

As the lesson progresses, he has to admit that Amy is not as bad as he thought, even though the disappointment is still deeply inside him and he catches himself again and again looking past her during the dance, his gaze fixed on Xayah. A light smile flits across his lips as she once again gets out of sync and steps on Walden's foot. 

After a while he spins Amy for the last time, before nodding to tell her that it's enough for the day and that he's leaving for the restroom, while he takes another look at Xayah, who doesn't look as enthusiastic as she did at the beginning. 'Maybe I should ask her if she needs some private lessons', he smiles slightly before he leaves through the same door as his teacher did before. 

When he comes back into the room after a while, he almost collides with Xayah, who has her arms wrapped tightly around her, face red, eyes full of tears and her gaze turned to the ground. Shocked, he looks at her, leaving the hall together before placing his hands on her shoulders and looking at her seriously. "Hey,hey... Xayah..." He wanted to ask who hurt her, who made her cry so that he could punish them, but shook his head 'Comforting her is the priority Rakan, they can wait...' he thought, as he started gently rubbing her shoulders to help her calm down "what happened, are you ok?" She shakes her head slowly, sobbing loudly as she rubs the back of her hand over her eyes, fighting the tears. "I don't... want... to talk about it," she sobs loudly, resisting the urge to throw herself at his chest. „B... But... I will... leave... the club... ."

"It'll be all right Xayah, shhhhh... just calm down. Everything will be fine. I'm with you, I won't let you down." He throws a warm smile at her, giving her an encouraging glance. He would love to take her in his arms and stroke her back, but he doesn't know if it would be too much for her. "I know what we are doing now. We're going to change clothes first and then I'll show you a place where it's really great, okay? I'm sure you're gonna love it there." He smiles at her again, with one hand gently sliding from her shoulder down her arm, causing goose bumps all over her body. 

Shyly she nods, biting her lower lip as she wipes the tears from her face one last time and runs over to the ladies' changing room. He looks after her with a slight smile before he heads over to the men's changing room where he hears Walden and his best friend Dan laughing, resisting the urge to just walk over and punch him in the face. 

Although he doesn't know what happened, he is sure Walden had something to do with it, as he was Xayah's dance partner and the reason she burst into tears. With one quick movement he sprays deodorant all over himself while he exchanges his training clothes for his uniform. When he steps out of the dressing room a few minutes later, he takes quick steps back to where they separated before the lesson began.

After a while he looks at his mobile phone, realising that he has been waiting more than 30 minutes for her, but just as he starts typing a message, the door to the women's dressing room opens and Xayah steps outside, giving him an apologetic smile. "There you are! I was beginning to think you'd abandoned me," he winks at her as she slowly shakes her head. "No... no. I just wanted to wait until the others had left," she whispers softly, looking down at the ground.

Surprised, he looks at her from the side before he opens the door with a smile. "Thank you," she mumbles, still looking down at the ground, while her hands are deep in her pockets and her backpack bounces slightly on her back with every step. "Shall I carry that for you?" he asks smiling, whereupon she shakes her head, slightly smiling. " It's fine," she mumbles, before looking up at the foliage of the trees through which the golden light of the late autumn sun shines.

For some time they walk silently side by side, while he keeps glancing at her from the side and looking at her thoughtfully. With a soft sigh she stops, leaving Rakan surprised, standing still. "What is wrong?" He smiles broadly at her while she stares at the ground, biting her lower lip again. "I know you are looking at me..." she whispers, still not looking at him. "Why are you staring at me all the time? "

Slowly he steps towards her, placing his hand under her chin and leading her to look him straight in the eyes. "I' m thinking all the time about what happened at the dance club, about how Walden hurt you so incredibly. You were so excited, full of joy. And after dancing with him, you were in tears. Not sad or anything, Xayah, you were devastated, heartbroken and you still are, I can see it clearly. Is it because you stepped on his feet? Or because you didn't manage to stay in time? What happened? Maybe I can help you." 

She flinches at his words, eyes pressed together, before nodding slightly as she looks into his eyes, while hers are filled with tears again, as they slowly continue on their way. "It's just...I knew I wasn't that good, I thought it would be fun to dance... but Walden... he was so angry and mean," she whispers as another tear runs down her cheek and Rakan's hands clench into fists.

With a slight sob, she looks at him once more before staring at the floor again."He kept scolding me all the time and putting me down. I would be too stupid to do anything... At some point his friend joined in and together they insulted me and attacked me again and again... at some point I was about to burst into tears, then it got worse and I ran away..."

"Walden and Dan are douches. And they're not even good. Imagine, they've been in the club for two years and haven't performed in a show so far because they're too terrible. I don't think it was your fault. You got out of sync and stepped on his feet a few times, but I think with a little practice and a better dance partner, you might become one of the best in the club." He smiles encouragingly at her while she stares at him with big eyes and struggles with tears. "I'll talk to the Prof to make sure you don't get involved with either of them again, but in return you promise me that you won't quit and keep coming to the club, okay?"

Slowly she nods as the smile on her lips widens a little and she runs one arm over her cheek. When they stop a little later in front of a cosy looking bakery she looks at him in surprise before her eyes move over the brown wood panelling. "The Ma Fille Pâtisserie, there's no better place in town if you want to eat cake, pie or pastry! And the cocoa here is also incredibly good," he smiles as he opens the door for her. 

Curiously, she looks around, absorbing the surroundings, before she laughingly points to a table in the corner. "Look, there's Neeko," she laughs happily, giving him a surprised look before they walk over to the table where Neeko and one of her friends from the art club are sitting. 

Xayah cheerfully beckons to her before they walk over to them and sit down next to her, while Xayah is grateful that Rakan offers her the seat next to Neeko, knowing that she would feel uncomfortable next to a stranger. When the waiter arrives at their table some time later and delivers their orders, Rakan can't help but laugh a little when he sees her reaction.

With beaming eyes, she looks at her waffles with cream, vanilla ice cream and hot cherries covered with pieces of pecan and macadamia nuts, while Rakan helps the waiter to spread the plates. As he hands Neeko her vanilla cake with rainbow sprinkles she laughs loudly, clapping her hands joyfully as Rakan takes the other two plates, apple pie with cream for Neeko's friend and a large serving of chocolate waffles with cream, chocolate ice cream and double hot cherries. 

Laughing out loud, they chat as Xayah takes the first bite of her waffles into her mouth, slapping her hands against her cheeks and bouncing enthusiastically back and forth in her chair, blissfully smiling. "Sooooo delicious," she cooes enthusiastically as Rakan puts a hand to his cheek and looks at her smiling. 'She is really something special. A girl I've never seen before, so innocent, friendly, and yet she managed to defeat a huge amount of voidlings on her first day as Star Guardian. But she is still a normal girl and enjoys the smallest things'.

From the side Neeko looks at him smiling for a brief moment before she tears her arms in the air and laughingly takes a bite of her cake. When they leave the Patisserie Bakery some time later, Neeko rubs her hand over her stomach, looking at her friends beaming. "Neeko thinks was delicious cake." Laughing, Xayah agrees with her, while Rakan disappears for a moment in the bakery and returns shortly afterwards with a big bag full of sachets. "For Ahri and Sarah," he explains with a smile as they head home together.

Laughing, Xayah jumps through the fallen leaves, whirling them with her feet, which Neeko imitates with bright eyes. Smiling broadly, Rakan watches them, walking a little slower behind them, while his heart in his chest starts beating faster.


	7. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We would like to mention that this story isnt fully canon, we use our own headcanons and change what we dont like. Please take in mind that our headcanons could be different then yours.
> 
> Thank you!

  
Sleepily, Rakan steps into the kitchen as his gaze passes the quietly tuned TV and his forehead wrinkles. Slowly he walks over to the fridge, looking for his bottle of cocoa before taking a big sip and returning the bottle to the fridge. Yawning, he leaves the kitchen and walks over to the living room, looking for the remote control.

To his great surprise, he doesn't find the remote control, but Xayah, who lies curled up on the sofa, tossing restlessly from side to side. Carefully he steps towards her, moving his hand slightly over her shoulder, before he decides not to wake her up. Gently he lifts her from the sofa, pressing her lightly against himself, while he carries her up the stairs and over to her room.

Startled, he turns around when a door opens opposite him and Ahri looks at him sleepily. "Rakan?", she mumbles softly, rubbing her hand lightly over one of her eyes, while she can' t suppress a yawn. Astonished she looks at Xayah, who twitches in her sleep and turns her head to the side, murmuring softly into Rakan's chest. "What's wrong?" 

He smiles slightly as his eyes move across Xayah's face. "I was in the kitchen having a drink. She seems to have fallen asleep in the living room in front of the TV. I'll take her to bed," he smiles as his eyes take on a gentle expression and he slowly takes her to her room before gently laying her down on her bed and lovingly covering her. "Sleep well", he whispers, turning towards the door.

Surprised, he looks down at his hand as he notices Xayah clinging to him, still sleeping. "Please stay with me" she mumbles in her sleep, prompting Rakan to smile slightly and sit down on the floor next to the bed, looking at her from the side.

Surprised, Ahri glances into the room before she slowly looks inside, giving Rakan a questioning look. "She doesn't want to be alone, but I don't want her to feel uncomfortable either", he whispers with a gentle smile, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb, causing Ahri to nod slightly and leave the room again shortly afterwards, before she comes back with some blankets and pillows and gives him an understanding look. He smiles gratefully at her as she leaves the room again, wishes them a good night and closes the door quietly behind her.

  
A whimper wakes him up from his sleep and he looks at Xayah in shock as she tosses and turns in her bed, mumbling restlessly and pressing his hand tighter. 

"Xayah, hey, it's all right dear, everything's fine, I'm with you," he whispers, his thumb gently stroking the back of her hand as her features slowly relax and she mumbles something to herself that he doesn't understand. "What's wrong, my dear? What happened?" he whispers, his voice as soft as velvet.

While she sleepily mumbles what's happening to her, his eyes widen and Rakan grits his teeth, averting his gaze as he presses his eyes together. A deep anger builds up inside him and he feels the urge to punch something. Taking a deep breath, he looks at her again, as she turns her head to the side in her sleep and distorts her face. "I'll protect you" he whispers softly, more to himself than to her, as she sinks into a deeper sleep.

  
A loud noise woke Xayah up from her sleep. She opened her eyes slightly to look around and find the source of it, realizing that it was her phone, right beside her head buzzing. It was a reminder she had put to wake her up for school. She raised her hand and put it off. That's when she realized that Rakan was on the floor beside her bed, sleeping on some pillows. 'Why is he on the floor?' she thought as she nudged him lightly. 

"Rakan? Hey..." she said as he turned his head and looked at her with a smile, yet his eyes showed how tired he really was. "Why are you here? And especially, why are you sleeping on the floor?" asked Xayah with a confused expression on her face. Rakan studied her for a second, taking some time to put his thoughts in order, as he just woke up. "You really dont remember?" He answered finally and Xayah looked even more confused than before. 

"No?..." she said and bit her lower lip, nervous that she didnt know what had happened.  
"Well last night I got up to eat something and when I got downstairs I found you on the couch, you were propably watching tv but fell asleep and since I know that the couch is a rather bad choice for sleep, I brought you to your bed. When I turned to leave, you asked me to stay and so... I stayed." A soft smile was on his lips by the end of his explanation.

Xayah was shocked. 'So this is why he looks so tired... He didnt sleep all night... Because of me'. "Then why didn't you sleep on the bed?" she asked and looked at the other side of the bed, then back at Rakan "it is large enough for both of us" she continued and bit her lower lip a little harder. "Well, started Rakan, I really didnt want to make you feel uncomfortable, and I dont like taking advantage of situations like these." Xayah looked at him amazed and a smile crept on her lips "Thank you... But you shouldnt lose your sleep for me... " she said in a whisper her eyes escaping his gaze and turning to the floor.

"Anything for you" he thinks outloud and quickly looks at Xayah who looks at him with eyes wide open. 'I have to get out... NOW' he thinks, silently this time "I... Should propably get going, I mean, you have to get ready for school after all..." he says, feeling the blush on his cheeks and tries to give her a confident smile. Judging by her look, he failed and so he basically flies out of the bedroom. 'What was that about?' thinks Xayah, feeling the heat on her face and smiles. 'I should propably call the school... I really dont feel like coming close to *them*, not yet...' and with that thought she turns around and grabs her phone dialing the school's number, pressing call and waits until she hears the secretary's voice "Yes hello, good morning, i' d like to inform you that I won't be coming today...".

"So how is Xayah? Is she ok?" Ahri was looking at Rakan who sat opposite to her at the table in the kitchen, and he looks up from the bowl of cereal in front of him. "She looks better, although she remembers nothing of what happened last night..." Ahri nods in understanding "She must have been half asleep.." she conluded and Rakan nodded in agreement. "Wait... What happened last night?" asked Sarah who sits on the seat next to Ahri. "It's not important, what is though is that in her sleep she told me that someone hit her..." 

He says and he holds his spoon with such force that his knuckles turn white. "Who?" Sarah said in a dangerous and low voice, her eyes looking straight into Rakan's, her fury clearly visible. Next to her Ahri looked shocked and was also waiting for an answer. "Dan and his... friend..." he said his voice coated with a growl "They will pay for this" Sarah says in an assuring tone. "I will deal with Dan, you deal with the other one"

Her face had a look of sheer determination and Rakan didn't object. "Make them regret it" added Ahri, still in somewhat of a shock. Rakan nodded again and turned to finish his breakfast.

  
~ * ~

Rakan knew where he would find Walden, it was a standart. Everyday after school he would go to the bakery. The same bakery that himself and Xayah went whenever they wanted a snack. Xayah wasn't at school that day and when he asked he was told she stayed at home because she wasn't feeling well... But he knew better. It was because of these two idiots... They hurt her so much she is afraid of them.. He will show them what happens when someone hurts his friends (and was she just his friend? Something more? He really didn't know....).

He was outside the bakery now, but Walden was missing, he stood against the wall and crossed his hands over his chest, he would wait for him, at some point he was bound to arrive. Fifteen minutes later he saw him, he was on his phone laughing at something while he walked towards Rakan, not knowing what awaits him. 'So how should I go on with this... Should I go for something flashy or raw violence?'

Rakan thought to himself, feeling his blood rush through his veins. He was angry, that was for sure. And so he started to walk toward his target, his hands turned to fists, and when he was in punching range he pulled his right hand back and with all his strenght pushed forward until he felt something solid on his knuckles. Walden was on the ground his eyes closed and his face showed how much pain the hit caused him. Rakan's fist hurt, but it was worth it... He got him at the left side of his jaw, he must have hit the bone, maybe got a tooth? He would be happy if that was the case... 

"Why dont you hit someone that's your own size huh?" Rakan growled angrily as he put his lower leg on Walden's neck locking it in place between the ground and his knee. "Wha-What? What do you mean? What is this?" the Douche cried, blood on his lips. Rakan laughed but the sound had no happiness in it... Only hatred. "You... You deserve all that comes your way..."

and with that he puts a little more weight on the other boy's neck and raised his hand in the air ready to strike again, but before he could go on he felt someone grab him by his wrist. He turned confused and searched for the face of the person that dared get in his way. To his surprise his eyes locked with Xayah's... "Xayah? What are you doing here?" He asked and droped his hand to his side, though still holding Walden on the ground, who desperately tries to escape his Iron grip, but fails. 

"I was... I-.. Rakan! Let him go!" She said, trying to get Rakan to stand up. "What- No! He hurt you, he must pay for causing you pain!" he replied his eyes going from confusion to anger as he looked at the person on the ground. "Rakan please let him go he is not worth it!" She said trying harder... "Please.." she said in a breathless whisper, that only he could hear. Rakan looked at Xayah, there were tears in her eyes and her expression was pleading.

She moved her hand to his shoulder and squeezed it slightly urging him to listen to her. He thought about it for a minute and then turned to the excuse that was under him. "If you or that friend of yours come near her ever again.... I swear to everything I hold dear that nothing will save you..." his look was hard as steel and his voice harder as he said these words and that caused Xayah to shiver.

She couldnt believe someone would go that far for her... She couldnt believe that *he* would... It warmed her heart, but also terrified her.. 'What would happen if I wasnt here? What would Rakan have to go through because of what he did for her?'. Walden's trembling voice teared her from her thoughts "I- I- I swear, it will not happen, ever, just please-please let me go man..." he whimpered and then Rakan stood up letting the other guy run as fast as he could not looking back.

"Hey-..." Rakan started but was interrupted when Xayah threw herself on him hugging him.  
"You didnt have to do that... You could hurt yourself, he could hurt you!" she said letting go of him so she could see his face "So you really believe he stood a chance against me? A star guardian?" he responded looking at her with a smug smile on his face. "After all, I couldnt let him get away with what he did to you..." he continued now looking at his feet. "What... What do you mean?" Rakan looked into her eyes again "I know what he did Xayah... All of it..."

She was shocked "How?..." she asked "how do you know?" "When you had that nighmare, you told me about it..."  
Xayah's face turned red... "I-..." she starts but he stops her "Im sorry if you feel I violated your personal space, but I couldnt let this go... And im terribly sorry I wasn't there to protect you. Im sorry I let you down."

"It's okay, im fine! And you can't possibly blame yourself for this." "Okay." he said, and smiled at her, the worry and guilt gone from his face, and she smiled back.  
At that moment his phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket. With swift movements he opened it and checked his messeges.

He tapped on something and after a few moments a wide smile spread across his face. Xayah was curious so she moved to his side, wanting to see what he found so funny. He tilted the screen so she could look at it. She sees someone who has fallen in a fountain... "Wait! Is that Daniel?" she exclaimed when she saw the boy's face. He looked so embarassed, like he was about to cry. Then the video showed how many people were laughing at him for falling into the water and then... "Is that Sarah?!" she looked up at Rakan who was laughing with everything he had. 

Sarah winked with a playful smile at the camera doing a thumbs up with her free hand "Mission accomplished" she said with a laugh and ended the video.  
Xayah's mouth was open. She couldnt comprehend what she just saw. "Why did Sarah say that? What did she mean?" she asked looking at Rakan for an answer.

He smiled "Isn't it obvious? She threw the Douche into the fountain!" Xayah nodded at that "Yeah, but why? How did she know?" she pressed "It...might have slipped?" He responded a shy smile decorating his lips. "I can't believe it, now Sarah know I got bullied, thanks Rakan!" she felt tears building behind her eyes as she looked into his. Rakan was confused, but quickly caught up. 

"Hey it's not like that! Ahri and Sarah were worried about you... They asked me what happened and so I told them... Xayah, I have told you... We are a team, a family even.. We look out for each other.. Do you have any idea how furious Sarah was when she heard someone hurt you? Or how worried Ahri was when she heard you last night? They care for you, we all care for you... " 

He looked at her, tears ran down her face, her lower lip trembled. 'Aaah fuck it' he thought and put his arms around her holding her tight. "You are not alone dear... We have your back" he said and resisted the urge to kiss her hair, so he just rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. "Thank you" he heard her say, feeling the tears on his shirt as she tightened the embrace. They stood like that for a while, until she pushed at him lightly to break the embrace. 

"Can we go eat something... Im hungry.." she said with a shy smile, trying to change the subject as she brushed the back of her hand over her face, taking away the tears. "Yeah sure!" he responded with a smile and together they went into the bakery and sat at a table at the corner of the building. 

Xayah ordered a stracciatella cream cake and Rakan got a mousse au chocolate one. They ate in comfortable silence and when their meals were finished Rakan finally spoke "Come we should propably return home" Xayah nodded and they headed for the cashier to pay. Xayah opened her bag, but before she could get anything out, Rakan paid for both their meals smiling at the man behind the desk and then turned his gaze on her.

She looked at him with a questioning look but he just smiled "Yeah, you can pay next time" he said putting his hand on the small of her back guiding her outside. "Thank you" she whispered shyly not meeting his eyes "Twas a pleasure" he replied and they were on their way.

~ * ~

Yawning, Xayah walks down the stairs, dozily stepping into the kitchen. Surprised, Ahri looks up, giving her a friendly smile. The last few days she noticed that her new sister wakes up earlier then before, mostly since the inccident with Walden and his friend. "Good morning", she greets her, stirring a small spoon through her teacup before taking a bite of her jam toast. "Good morning", yawns Xayah, holding her hand in front of her mouth, before she smiles at Ahri, pouring some milk into a small pot and begins to heat it up. 

Searching, she looks around in the kitchen cupboard, her forehead wrinkled. " Are we out of cocoa?" She looks over her shoulder at Ahri, who just returns the look, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "I have no idea, Rakan always takes care of getting new cacao, Neeko always forgets, and Sarah and I usually drink tea", Ahri laughs softly, looking attentively at her friend.

"Oh...", mumbles Xayah, looking around in the cupboard before she grabs the glass with chocolate spread and a bar of chocolate, throwing a little of both into the pot and stirring it carefully. "And speaking of Rakan," Ahri begins as she looks attentively at her friend. "Rakan talks about you quite often lately, did you notice that? He seems to be quite... he seems to like you a lot", Ahri laughs cheerfully, before Xayah looks at her in surprise then back towards the pot, blushing and unable to prevent a wide smile. 

"We are just friends," she mumbles softly as the red tone on her face grows stronger. Shaking her head slightly, Ahri looks at her, head tilted to the side. ' You are the only one who thinks so.'

~ * ~

Cheerfully, Rakan steps into the hallway, throwing his backpack on the floor, before placing a large bag of various snacks next to the door. Several days have passed and he's happy to spent a Weekend with his friends. He looks around, checking for his friends. Neeko runs excitedly through the living room, holding several brushes in her hands, while Ahri and Sarah talk about the upcoming training, before Ahri walks over to the sofa and puts a hand on Xayah's shoulder, giving her a cheerful smile. "And you'll be all right?"

Surprised, Xayah looks up, throwing her a timid smile before she slowly nods. "Just invite a few of your friends and have fun for the weekend," she winks at her, causing Xayah to nod slowly before she puts her chin back on her knees and looks dully at the TV. 'I'm not that close to any of them that I'd keep them here overnight,' it crosses her mind as she continues watching her movie. 

For a moment Ahri's gaze follows hers and she furrows her forehead as she watches the girl in the movie laughing and crying at the same time, falling onto the floor and pressing something that belonged to her loved one before her gaze moves back to Xayah. 'Pretty depressing movie', it goes through her mind before she puts her hand on Xayah's shoulder again, giving her a gentle smile. "And you're really sure it's all right?" Ahri's voice is a note softer than before, while Xayah looks at her in surprise, nodding again.

She shrugs slightly as the door behind the others falls into the lock, her eyes still fixed on the movie, while she keeps on thinking. The others are gone for almost three days and she is completely alone. She sighs softly before she reaches for her mobile phone and opens the folder with the photos, looking at the picture of her and Rakan grinning into the camera as they lay on the colourful autumn leaves. 

A soft sigh escapes her lips before a shadow falls on her and she throws her mobile phone into the air out of shock, looking behind her. Right into the grinning face of Rakan. Puzzled, she looks at him, her forehead slightly wrinkled. "What are you doing here? I thought you were staying with your friends."

The grin fades from his face, giving way to a gentle smile before he nods to her. "Actually, yes, that was the plan! But when I heard you were staying here alone, I thought, fuck it, I'm staying here with you and we'll have a few good days. I could help you improve your steps so that you'd do better in the dance club and a certain asshole would regret embarrassing you even more." 

He winks at her before he steps around the sofa, looking in the direction of where her mobile phone is. She grabs it with a quick motion, slightly blushing before he drops and gives her a broad grin. She averts her eyes for a moment, unsure if he had noticed what she was looking at on the phone, but if he did, he hides it very well from her.

With a slight smile she nods at him, slipping unobtrusively a little closer to him. "What are you watching?", he asks smiling, looking at her from the side. Slowly she strokes a strand of her hair behind her ear, looking shyly at him. "Oh, it's a movie Amy told me about, it's quite beautiful but so sad," she mumbles as she turns her gaze away from him again.

"What do you say? Should we order pizza and maybe change to another movie?" Once again she looks at him shyly before she slides off the sofa and on her knees over to the shelf, looking for a film that they both might like. She reaches for three pieces and puts them on the table. "Pick one of them, I'll go and change in the meantime," she laughs softly before taking quick steps out of the room and running up the stairs. 

Gently smiling, he looks after her and then extends the sofa, placing some cosy pillows and blankets on it, before placing the snacks he had previously bought in small bowls, placing them on the table, which is now beside the sofa. Checking if everything is in place, he looks around before he nods satisfied and follows her up the stairs, disappearing into his room also changing his clothes. 

When he leaves the room again some time later, he is surprised to find that Xayah is still not finished. "Hey, what would you like on your pizza dear?" He bites his tongue involuntarily as the nickname slips out of his mouth, before her answer comes through the door after a brief moment. "Just cheese!"

"Just cheese? Pizza needs toppings to develop its full flavour", he answers her confused, to which just a quiet "But I just like cheese on my pizza" is the answer. He leans against her door, slightly smiling. "Pizza must be bright, full of colour! Like... a piece of art! Pizza is a special form of art, which is only perfect when it shines in all colours!"

Stumbling, he falls a step forward as she slowly opens the door again. "Then just imagine the different shades of yellow from the cheese! Then you've got your art!" she laughs before she jumps down the stairs, turning briefly towards him in the middle of the stairway, poking her tongue out before she walks down the remaining steps. Laughing, he follows her and an incredible warmth spreads in his chest.

  
Side by side they sit on the sofa, watching a horror movie, while the pizza boxes rest on their legs. Startled, Xayah raises her hands in front of her eyes while Rakan smiles at her from the side. "Is it over?" she mumbles silently as she blushes slightly and he laugh softly . "Yes, it's over." Slowly she lets her hands sink while he looks at her amusedly from the side and she looks at him playfully offended. 

"I'm going to get a drink, anything you want?"

For a moment she looks thoughtful before she slowly nods. "Cocoa wouldn't be bad", she giggles quietly, looking at him apologetically. He immediately jumps up, walking over to the kitchen. "Great idea! Cocoa is perfect!" She glances over the back of the sofa before starting to steal the mushrooms from his pizza. Whistling cheerfully, he comes back to her and hands her one of the cups while she still has the last mushroom in her mouth and slowly chews on it, setting the cocoa aside. 

For a moment he looks at his pizza in amazement, his forehead wrinkled, before he looks at her questioningly. "You didn't seriously steal all the mushrooms from my pizza?" She looks at him as innocently as possible, swallowing the last mushroom. " Uhm... no?" He looks at her, laughing softly, shaking his head. "You are an incredibly bad liar," he laugh, placing himself above her. "Good girls don't lie! You must be punished for doing so," he laughs with a broad grin before he begins to tickle her.

Laughing out loud, she kicks around herself as tears run down her cheeks. "You've won! You've won, please stop!" she laughs breathlessly, the sound music to his ears as he slowly leans down towards her, looking deep into her eyes. For a moment time seems to stand still as they look at each other, feeling more connected than ever before. It takes Rakan incredible effort not to simply take her in his arms and kiss her. 


	8. Never ever...

His head is feeling light and his breath quickens. She is looking at him straight in the eyes, her mouth slightly open. 'I have to get away or I'll kiss her... Okay, okay THINK Rakan' he thinks before he pulls away from her and takes a deep breath. "So how about we play a game hm?" he asks and Xayah seems to like the idea "What kind of game?" she responds with a chuckle, moving herself to a sitting position. "We could play 'never have I ever' if you are fine with it.."

"But.. This game forces the player to drink alcohol at some point.... And I don't really want to drink... Sorry." she protested, biting her lower lip. "Well, I say we don't need alcohol to have fun! Whoever finishes his non-alcoholic drink first is the loser! So, what do you say?"  
"I think, I'm okay with that." she said with a smile. Then Rakan got up from the couch and went towards the kitchen.

A few minutes later he came back with two cups and a bottle of apple juice. "Here you go..." He said as he put a cup in front of her and then filled it to the top, before sitting next to her doing the same for himself. "So the way this works is; You say 'Never have I ever done something', if I have done it I need to drink some of my juice. If I haven't, then I dont! Same for you." he explained and then looked at her for an answer. "Yeah okay, I think I got it. I'll go first!" she said with a small smile and he nodded. She turned her body so that she was facing him and said.

"Never have I ever kissed someone"  
Rakan looked surprised, realising that what almost happened would be her first kiss. Only thinking about that makes Rakan blush and he quickly drinks out of his cup.  
"Okay my turn, never have I ever... Lost my sleep because I wanted to finish my homework." he said grinning as he knew that she had been doing that. And as expected she drinks some of her juice with a shy smile on her face.

"Hmmm... Never have I ever broken someone's heart." when he heard that he turned serious and thought for a minute. 'Well, I propably have...' he thinks and then reaches for the cup. He is surprised when Xayah places her hand on his knee, but gives her a thankful look and.

" I guess I should ask something now... Never have I ever.. Had my heart broken." he says and awaits her reaction. As a happy surprise she just smiles at him, not reaching for her cup. 'Good' he notes.

Xayah the starts to speak "Never have I ever hurt someone." Rakan looks at her and smiles before reaching for the cup "They deserved it." he mumbled, which made Xayah smile and at the same time blush, as she she looks away and gestures with her hand that he should go on.

"Never have I ever been jealous" he continued and that made Xayah blush a little more as she thought of the girl with which Rakan danced before he was paired with her. And so she drinks a little more, ignoring Rakan who looked at her with a surprised expression, his left eyebrow slightly lifted.

"So, said Xayah, my turn... Never have I ever completed my new year's resolution!" Rakan looked at her for a second before he put a hand to his chin, thinking. Then he slowly moved his hand and grabbed the cup "Well, at least I tried..." he mumbled again, which prompted Xayah to burst in laughter, himself as well shortly afterwards. "Good one Rakan" she told him, wiping the tears from her face, with the back of her hand. He shrugged and said "Well it's kind of an every year thing. I set some goals and then try to reach them. Mostly I get bored by the end of January and tell myself that 'At least I tried'." She nods and "Your turn" she said smiling softly.

"Never have I ever... Been disappointed in myself." Xayah turned her eyes to the floor and drank the rest of the liquid from her cup and then refilled it, not looking at Rakan who was staring at her confused. "Why would you ever be disappointed in yourself Xayah? You are one of the most amazing people I know!" he protested and she turned her eyes to him, a happy smile dancing on her lips, as she felt heat rush to her cheeks. 

"It's.. Ahm.. It's not important.." she responded and gestured for him to once more move on. He wanted to press her, find out what bothered her and assure her that she is perfect, but respected her choice and let her ask her question. "Oh wait it's my turn" she added then laughing and looked at the ceiling, as if looking for what to ask.

She then looks him in his eyes for a moment, her fingers playing with the seam of her pyjama shirt "Never have I ever told myself how amazing I am..." she said a playful smile on her lips. He smiled as well, liking this playful side of Xayah, then looked away as he felt a blush creeping on his face. "Well you got me there..." He said and then also drank the rest of his cup refilling it as well.

He stared at his cup for a while and then said with a smile on his lips "Never have I ever been stuck outside the house". They both started laughing then, Xayah hitting his shoulder playfully. "Hey that was your fault! You had my keys because you lost yours!" she exclaimed "Well yeah, but you were the one stuck outside remember?" he responded earning another playful hit. "Your turn now".

"Okay hm.... Never have I ever written a love letter"

"Ahmm, yeah haven't done that, not yet at least!"

"So you're in love Rakan?" she asked and he could feel the heat rise in his chest reaching even the peak of his ears. "Well....ahmm.." he said and then whispered in a lower voice, so she couldn't hear "yeah.." and then "So! My turn! Never have I ever been so in love with someone as I am right now." he said a little too fast for his liking, but his face fell as she reached for her cup... But half alway through, she stopped and pulled her hand back, smiling at him "I'm happy for you..." she finally said, feeling empty inside as she thought that he liked another girl... And then continues "Never will I ever tell the other person about my feelings."

To that Rakan reached for the cup, but stopped looking at Xayah thinking what he should do... "You're not sure?" she asked "Well... Ehmmm... I don't know if she feels the same way about me.. But now that I think of it" he said and looked deep into her eyes "she is worth it" he finished his sentence and drank some juice. Then he feels her hand on his knee again, and looks at her before she speaks 

"I think you should tell her, and know that I wish you the best" she then faked a smile and hoped her didn't notice. "You should propably tell him too, you never know what might happen.." he told her, as he put his hand on her shoulder his thumb moving in a soothing rhythm. She shamed her head, as her face turned crimson red "No, I could never... Plus he like another girl..." she said and he looked at her confused.

"Does he? He must be pretty blind then"

"Well, said Xayah, I'm not the type of girl that gets a lot of attention anyway..." she continued turning her gaze to the floor. 'Well you certainly have mine...' he thought. "I still think you should try" he replied and removed his hand from her.

"Never have I ever stolen from my teammate's topping!" Rakan said with a bright smile on his face "Well now you got me" laughed Xayah as she sipped from her cup once more. "It's okay though" he added, not wanting her to feel bad about it, making her smile as she put a hand in front of her mouth to hide the rising blush on her face. "I mean, he continued, my pizzas are quite the masterpiece so it's normal not being able to resist..."

'It' s not just your toppings I can't resist' she thought as a smile graced her face. A smile that Rakan wished he saw more often 'The toppings are one thing.. Stealing my heart though... That's another thing...' he thought.

"Seems like I've won!" exclaimed Xayah as she realised that Rakan had finished his second cup before her. "Yeah it would seem so" he replied and she bit her lip in anticipation "What do I get for that?" she asked, a playful smile again on her lips, her eyes shining with joy. "I guess I could sort this mess, while you just sit there. Good enough?" he said as he got up. 

"Yes... Good enough."she responded and then relaxed, as she lied on the couch, having enough space now that Rakan was not sitting there. She was looking at him lovingly, taking in his beautiful features, as he wasn't looking 'If only....' she thought and then turned on her side turning the TV on. After he had sorted everything out he returned to the living room, only to find Xayah sleeping on the couch, the TV program, long forgotten. He approached her and took a moment to look at her form. 

He thought about waking her up for a moment, but decided against it, as he didn't want to desturb her. So he picked her up, placing her body close to his and carried her up the stairs into her room. "Sleep well dear" he whispered as he placed a kiss on the top of her head, biting his tongue right after, hoping she wouldn't wake up. He took one good look at her before closing the little lamp on her bedside table and then moved out of her room, closing the door behind him.

  
  
~ * ~  
  


  
With sparkling eyes, Xayah looks out of the window, brushing a strand of her hair out of her face before she runs, without thinking, out of her room with held breath and as quietly as possible, down the stairs and into the kitchen, digging through one of the boxes Ahri had put there before she left. "The one with multicolored lights," she giggles softly, dragging out the fairy lights and running over to the window. 

"So pretty," she whispers, looking at the snowy backyard and frosted shrubs outside before beginning to attach the fairy lights to the window. Frustrated, she realizes that no matter how much she may stretch, she can't manage to attach the fairy lights to the top of the window.  
With a leap, she tries to throw the lights over one of the upper hooks as a loud laugh causes her to flinch.

"That's not funny! Instead of laughing at me, you should help me," she pouts, her cheeks puffed and her arms crossed in front of her chest, causing him to laugh even more. "I would never laugh at you after all, my dear," he grins, pressing his finger against her cheek, causing a soft noise, which results in him laughing even louder before taking the fairy lights from her hands and attaching them to the top of the window. " Happy now?" With a slight smile, he looks at her, surprised to find her blushing as she quickly nods her head. 

"I'm making cocoa, would you like some?" 

With a lively laugh, she nods to him, her eyes shining again, even if the blush is still visible on her face. "I'd love some!" With a smile on his face, Rakan grabs the small pot, a carton of milk and the cocoa powder, mixing everything in the pot. Whistling cheerfully, he turns to her, surprised to see that she no longer stands behind him. 

He slowly turns down the temperature, looking around for her, before walking over to the open garden door. With a broad smile, he looks down at Xayah lying in the snow, grabbing some with both arms, jumping up and throwing it into the air before she throws herself back into the snow with a loud laugh, her nightgown sticking wet to her. 

"Come back inside, it's cold, you'll get sick." With a soft laugh and shining eyes, he steps up to her, reaching out for her as she leaps up again, shaking her head and dropping into the snow once more. "No, it' way too much fun, Rakan."

Shaking his head, he steps towards her, still laughing softly. "I wasn't kidding. You'll get really sick if you don't. Come back inside." Again she shakes her head, shaking snowflakes out of her hair as she shines at him. " Make me," she giggles, tossing more powdery snow into the air. He's silent for a second, before slowly making his way towards her. "You wish you hadn't said that."

Without another word, he runs toward her, but she dodges him, and he notices that she's not wearing socks or a pair of house slippers. For a few minutes he chases her through the garden before he gets her by the wrist, and the suddenness of the action causes her to lose her balance and land back in the snow, looking at him, laughing. Without thinking, he lifts her up from the snow, cradling her in his arms as she tries to free herself from the hold only to have him squeeze her tighter. "Not like this, missy. You told me to make you do it, so I'm doing it now. It's going back in and then be a good girl, otherwise I'll have to smack your ass." 

As soon as he finishes the sentence, he notices that his face is turning fiery red and an intense heat is spreading under his skin all the way to his ears as he carries her back into the house, through the kitchen and into the living room. Gently, he sets her down on the sofa, grabbing one of the blankets from the night before, which he wraps around her shoulders for warmth. "And here you stay, I'll be back in a second."

With quick steps he runs into the kitchen, filling the cocoa into cups and walking back to her. "A cocoa with cream for you," he smiles softly as she looks at him lovingly and grips the cup with trembling fingers. " Outside I didn't feel the cold like this," she giggles softly, blushing as well.

Rakan shakes his head slightly with a smile on his lips. "We wouldn't want you to catch a cold now! You could miss the prom!" the excitement is visible on his face "I'm not going to the prom... I'm not interested anyways.." Xayah turns her gaze to the floor as she puts her cup on the table in front of her. Rakan looks at her confused and then sits beside her on the couch, his eyes searching for hers "Why would you say that?" he asks as he puts his hand on her knee. "Well I'm not really into it..." Rakan shakes his head again, but she couldn't see him as her eyes were still glued to the ground. "Shame, I was about to ask you to be my partner for the prom... But since you are not interested I should start looking for someone else..." he says as he puts one hand to his chin, acting like he is thinking about something. "Wait.... No, why? Why would you ask me of all people? You could have any girl you want!" Xayah finally looks at him, confused. 

"Yeeeeah I could, but I want you! Simple as that!" he flashes an innocent smile at her and puts his hands behind his head, as he puts it to rest on the back of the couch. "I.. I don't have anything appropriate to wear... I can't show up in my uniform or any of my casual clothes" Xayah's voice is low, Rakan thinks she sounds embarrassed and he doesn't like it. "Why didn't you say that this was your problem! Come on get up! We are getting you a dress!" he jumps excitedly with a bright smile on his lips. "I don't think it's so important, I don't want to waste your time... You could ask the girl you like after all..." He sees her bite her lower lip and can feel her sadness.

'Nope, that won't do it' he thinks "Hey, Xayah look at me." he stops and waits until her eyes rest on him and then continues "You are important! And the prom is an important event! And I would love to go with you, more than with anyone else. So I'm asking you to get up." He is now standing in front of her, both his hands are stretched out, gesturing for Xayah to take them and pull herself up, from where she is sitting with her knees close to her chest, her head resting on them. "Are you sure Rakan?" she asks as accepts his help, a shy smile creeping on her face. "Yes I am absolutely sure" he answers, his voice soft and his smile softer. "So how much time do you need to get ready?" Xayah thinks for a few seconds, playing with a strand of her pink hair. "I.. Ahmmm... I need about 30 minutes!" she announces with a bright smile. "Okay then up we go!" he says as he runs past her and up the stairs into the bathroom.

Rakan looks at his reflection in the mirror, thinking. 'What should I go for first?... I should start with my face!' He thinks as he starts his morning care routine, rubbing his face until he feels satisfied and then takes the product away with some water. 'Good' he thinks and starts to hum a soft and cheerful song. He then starts with his hair, at first with the ones on the back of his head, as they are the most difficult to put in place. He places his mirrors in a way that allows him to actually see what he is doing, and begins to brush. After that his attention turns to the hair above his forehead where a stray strand of it is flying loose and for a moment he stares at it... Menacingly... 

"I swear if you don't get in line, I will cut you off myself you hear me?" he says as he points his finger at the mirror in front of him and then proceeds to work on styling that part as well. When he is done he looks at himself once more. "You look stunning and beautiful..." he says with a grin and walks out of the bathroom, and towards his room. 'I should be getting ready...' he thinks as he looks at the clock on the wall. He has 10 more minutes until Xayah is supposed to be ready... He should be able to make it.

At this moment he hears Riku chirping playfully at him. "Yeah of course I have time!" he answers with a confident smile but Riku just chirps once again, doubting. "Well if you think I won't then be so kind and help me?!" he replies again, opening his closet and staring at it, thinking of the perfect outfit to wear.

"So I was thinking I could wear a pair of black jeans and brown boots... Maybe with a red plaid shirt and a black leather jacket above that?" Riku looks at him and shakes his head. "Really? You don't think it's fitting?" Riku answers in a negative tone, meaning he should think of something else. "So you suggest I go for a different style?" to that Riku chirps happily and Raka nods. "Okay then help me out buddy, you know she is important to me!" Riku nods knowingly and starts chirping, Rakan nodding along the way. "So I should wear the navy blue pea coat, underneath which I should wear a dark grey sweater with a dark red dress shirt underneath it?" The familiar nods happily once again "The hem is inside or outside the pants?" Rakan asks and Riku chirps in return "Okay outside, thought so...So I complete the outfit with a pair of blue jeans and black leather boots?" 

He looks at his pet for an answer and Riku nods once again. "Okay so I should wear a watch... I'll go for the gun metal one, it looks cool! And a fragrance... I want something fresh, sweet and welcoming... What do you say?"he asks as he sits on the bed, putting his shoes on while looking at Riku who chirps in agreement. "Nice.. I'm happy you agree bud" Rakan says as he is done with his shoes. He gets up and grabs his watch, putting it on his left arm while with the other he sprays the fragrance. Three sprays. One on his left wrist, one on the right side of his neck and one on the left. He takes a deep breath and looks at the clock, realising he is ten minutes late 'Well, I did it again...' he thinks and rushes downstairs.

She looks uncertainly into the mirror, holding one top after the other in front of her, alternating between them as she looks at herself in the mirror, before they follow the other to the bed. "This doesn't suit..." she mumbles before throwing herself upon the tops, turning her head towards the door while Saki looks at her questioningly. "You wouldn't understand anyway..." She averts her eyes from her friend, turning on the bed and burying her face in a soft, fluffy sweater before looking up with light tears in her eyes and holding the soft piece up in the air, giving Saki a questioning look.

"Come on, help me out here! You know I really like Rakan," she lets out a sigh, dropping back onto the bed and closing her eyes in frustration. With a soft chirp, Saki heads over to the closet, dragging out a lavender skirt and bringing it over to the bed with some effort before dropping it right in Xayah's face. 

Startled, she sits up, looking at the fabric with wide eyes. "Isn't that a bit too short? He might think I'm too cheap," she whispers quietly, turning her gaze away and biting her lower lip slightly as Saki begins to chirp furiously, feathers ruffled and leaping towards her. Surprised, she looks at her little friend, nodding slightly. "Well, you're right. So you think I should wear the white sweater and dark gray knee socks with this? I trust you on that," she whispers with a smile before slowly beginning to change. 

With a quick flick of her wrist, she ties her hair into a high braid before walking out of her room, happily jumping down the stairs, humming softly to herself before she waits for Rakan in the living room. 

When she sees Rakan coming downstairs, she leaps up, smiling brightly at him before she runs over to the wardrobe, grabbing her coat before she starts to wrap her scarf around her neck, making sure the small pompoms on both sides are in front of her. With shining eyes she looks at Rakan, spinning around herself with a soft giggle, before she looks at him questioningly. "Do you take me with you? Or do i need to redress?" A slight blush spreads over her cheeks, while she looks at him lovingly. 

He looks her up and down, smiling softly, before he nods approvingly. "You look cute, my dear", he smiles, biting his tongue again. "Lets go, we need to find the most amazing looking dress for you!" He winks and holds the door open for her.


	9. Roller-coaster

With shining eyes, Xayah runs down the street before turning back to Rakan and looking at him happily, holding out a hand for a thick snowflake that slowly glides towards the ground. With a wide smile, he looks over at her, trying to suppress the feelings rising inside him. 'So cute,' it flashes through his mind as he slowly walks towards her. 

"How much further is it?" She walks towards him with slightly bouncing steps, a shy smile on her lips, wrapping her arms around one of his and snuggling up to him. He can feel his heart jump to his throat at the sudden contact and he looks at her smiling. "We are almost there really, it's just around that corner over there" he is nodding towards a red, two story building that sits on the corner, a short distance away from where they are now.

"Perfect, I can't wait!" Xayah exclaims with excitement as she turns her head up to look at him, flashing a bright and radiant smile. 'I didn't know she could be so... Happy? But damn I have to keep it that way.' he thinks as they reach the corner, turning around and seeing a huge alleyway with different shops, left and right, hundreds of people can be seen walking around, propably because of how many different things one can find there. He turns his gaze to Xayah, who is looking at the sight in awe. "Looks magnificent doesn't it?" he asks, a knowing smile on his lips. She doesnt answer, but nods happily. "Okay, come one we have to find a dress, remember?" he starts walking towards the alley, dragging her with him. "Oh yeah, yeah sorry, let's go" she says as she catches up to him.

"So where should we start?" she asks wondering, her eyes searching around. He thinks for a minute until he sees a shop showcasing some dresses that she might like. "How about we start there?" he asks, tapping on her shoulder to get her attention, his hand point to the direction in which he saw the dresses. "Yeah let's start there!" she says and runs with bouncy steps toward the shop. Rakan looks after her, a warm smile tugging on his lips, as he watches her inspect the dresses, her head slightly tilted to the side, both hands behind her back. She seemes skeptical.

"What is it? What's on your mind?" he asks, his eyes searching for hers as she turns and looks at him. "Well... I like these dresses a lot, especially that one!" she says as she points at a long, light violet in color dress, whose torso is textured with flowers, down to the middle. It is sleeveless and it has a certain feeling of freedom and softness to it. Rakan likes it alot. "But I don't know if they will look good on me..." she continues, looking at the ground, shyness and uncertainty visible in her movement. "Well, I beg to differ. We won't know unless we see them on you, so how about we go inside and try them out hm?" he answers as he lifts her chin so he can meet her eyes. She nods excitedly as a soft smile creeps on her lips, her eyes shining.

When the go inside Rakan is impressed by how big the store actually is. There are so many alleys inside, dresses hanging everywhere he looked, he felt a bit overwhelmed and turned his gaze to Xayah, who isn't doing any better. "Uhm, where do we go now?" she asks, putting her hand on her chin, thinking, subconsciously biting her lower lip. 'So beautiful..' he thinks, practically staring at her, not really thinking. "Rakaaaan where do we begin?" she asks again, since he didn't answer her previously. "Well I.. I don't reeeally know..." he replies honestly as he looks around, searching for something that might help them. His eyes finally fall on a map, that's been put on a wall, propably to help customers navigate through this maze. "Hey, come on I think I found something!" he says as he takes her hand and moves towards the map. "So based on this right here..." he puts his finger on what he supposes is an alley "we should go that way to find the changing room, but we have to get your dresses first. We should be able to find someone to help you find the ones we saw on showcase earlier." he is looking at her with a grin, happy that he was able to find a solution to their problem. "Mhm, sounds perfect... Can you uhm... Come with me to find the dresses? I don't want to be alone..." she asks as her face takes on a lovely shade of red, her left hand playing with a strand of her pink hair. 'As if there is a scenario where I can resist that...' he thinks "Of course, let's find what you like and then go to the changing room yeah?" She smiles happy with his answers and nods, walking down the alley with her newfound confidence.

After some time and a lot of walking, they reach the changing room. "Come on, go in change and then come out." Rakan tells her as he pushes her. "Which one should I start with?!" she asks turning her head around as she alked towards the room. "Whichever you want!" he answered with an encouraging smile. "Okay.." she mumbled more to herself as she walked in putting her dresses on a counter that was put next to the wall. 'I think I should go for the red one first... Seems flashy, he should like it... I think..' she thinks and starts to put on a long red dress with a slit to the side, that goes up above her knee, a few inches below her middle. It has silvery glitter on the torso and there also is a white glove that goes up to her her elbow. She struggles a bit, as the upper part or the dress is tight, but gets looser the lower it goes. She turns around to look at her back in the mirror and grimaces, not so sure with the texture it has. Her back is mostly exposed, apart from a thick "X" of fabric that holds the dress together. 'What will he think... That's what guys like right?' she sighs and puts the glove on. She had to admit, even though she didn't feel comfortable wearing it she did like the look of it. And so she heads out, uncertainty sipping out of every pore of her skin as she looks at him, a shy smile on her face. 

Rakan takes a good look at her, 'the elegance of this dress looks nice on her' , he thinks 'but she doesn't seem okay with it...' he notes, taking in the expression of her face. "Do a circle around yourself so that I can see the back of it" he tells her and she bites her lower lip, before she nods, doing what he asked. She looks straight into his, searching for an answer, as she caresses her left arm with her right one, trying to keep it together with some sort of comfort. He hesitates for a moment and her heart drops. 'What was I thinking?!' she slaps herself mentally, but before she can go any further shem hears Rakan clear his throat. "I say you try something else, and we might come back to this one later....Do you like it though?" there is a hint of uncertainty in his voice, as he puts his hand on his chin, looking at her questioningly. "Uhm... I like how it looks like... But.." she stops for a moment sighing, before he gives her an encouraging smile "Nevermind, I will just try something else.." she mumbles quickly and retreats into the changing room once more. 'I won't let him think I can't wear a dress that shows a little bit of skin... He would think I'm boring....But he might be onto me, and he seemed like he liked it.. Maybe I should go for something more extreme?" she thinks and looks at the short and tight black dress that the employee recommended when she told her she would like to look good for a boy... "This should do it, probably..." she mumbles and puts the dress on. She feels so out of place... This "dress" doesn't cover nearly anything. 'It is more like a piece of cloth with holes!' she notes as she looks at the ceiling, taking a deep breath. She tries to maximize the amount of skin covered as she pulls the skirt down, but to no effect. It still covers only half her thigh. 'What am I doing?' she asks herself and then sighs 'At least he won't think I'm boring and a buzzkill...' she tells herself and goes out to meet him. 

Rakan is looking at his phone, checking in with Neeko, asking if she's okay and if they need anything. He smiles as she tells him they have lots of fun and sends him a picture of her, her face covered in paint, smiling as she does a thumbs-up with her free hand. That's when he notices some movent in front of him and looks up to see Xayah in a short black dress, looking tight enough to make it difficult to breath. He looks into her embarrassed eyes, as if asking her 'why?'.Her face has turned a crimson red, and she has crossed her hands tightly over her chest, her legs too glued to one another. "Do you like it?" she asks, her voice low as she looks around, checking if anyone she knew was there, releaved that it was a negative. "Uhm... Xayah, I don't think this is something you would wear..." he tells her confused. "Why would you say that?" she asks, sure that his answer would confirm her fears, slapping herself mentally that she couldn't keep it together. "Because this isn't you dear.. You are warm, sweet... I would imagine something in the colors of spring on you... Not that I say that if you like it you shouldn't get it, of course! But I have a feeling you don't like it either, do you?" he asks as he searches for her eyes, failing as they are glued to the ground, but finds his answer when she nods in agreement. "Then why would you wear it?" he presses, eager to get an answer. "I-.. I thought that-.. That you would like something like... _This_ " she says as her hands glide over her supposed dress. "Well, if you don't feel comfortable wearing something then I don't want you to wear it okay?" he replies, with an encouraging smile on his lips. She finally looks up a d nods, with a smile of her own "Okay" she whispers. "Alright then, go change, and show me what else you got in there yeah?" he says and his smile becomes a little brighter. She nods and heads in again.

'That was... Unexpected! I love h-... It! I love IT!' she corrects herself mid-thought. She blushes as she thinks about him... How he cared enough to notice that she wasn't comfortable wearing something like that. How he told her he wouldn't like it if she didn't feel okay with it. She sighed again and looked at the two dresses that were still on the counter. 'Time for this one' she thinks, as she picks up a long airy dress, it's color was white with beautiful mint texturing. It wasn't too tight or too loose. It fit her well. She turned around to check the back and smiled. It had lots of straps tangled together, not completely hiding her skin, leaving just enough exposed. The mint texturing was what she liked most though. It was like vines climbing up the dress. So natural and fresh. She liked it. Xayah gave herself a nod and walked out of the room and towards Rakan. 

"How do you like this one?" she asks him with a smile on her face, a happy and genuine one. He turns his gaze to her and smiles kindly. "Now that's a lot better!" he says as he gets up and walks around her. "I like this one way more, don't you?" he asks her as he steps in front of her, his eyes looking into hers. "Yeah I like this one, the texture is nice and the fabric is soft... But I don't know about the color.." she says and looks at her dress chuckling. "Hmm... Is there anything else you would like to try out? We might find something better in color, but with the same style overall." Rakan explains. "Well... There is this violet one... But I don't know it is too expensive.." she says sadly, the price of it coming back to her mind. "I that what I asked you? Because I think I said 'Is there anything else you would like to try out'." he jokes, taking a step back, falling on the chair he was sitting on moments before. "Yeah but-" she starts but he interrupts her "No 'Buts' now! Go on and try it out! I told you we would get you the most beautiful dress and if that one is the one, then we are getting it!" the tone of his voice was soft, but left no room for objections, so she nodded and went to try the last dress. 

'What am I going to do with her' he thinks as he chuckles, turning his phone on, checking for any messages. There is one from Ahri he notes as he opens it. 

"We won't be back until later tomorrow, around midday, thought we should let you know ;)" it reads. 'Ahri you little fox... Knew I can count on you' he thinks before sending a quick 'thank you' as a reply. And at that moment Xayah comes out of the changing room. "Wow.." he mumbles and he can see Xayah blush as she makes a pirouette, her violet dress flowing in the air. 'It is so perfect' he thinks. It had a fit similar to the previous one and the back was pretty much the same, from what he could tell. But the texturing on the torso more intense, and the color of it was a darker purple. It had a slit on her right leg, but this one reached a little above her knee 'Just enough' he thinks. The color of the dress has a perfect synergy with her pink hair. She looks into his eyes for an answer, biting her lower lip anxiously. "I like this one a lot... " she says shyly and that breaks Rakan out of his thoughts. "This fits you so well! I love the color, the texture, everything! You... You look beautiful..." he says, the last few words spelled quite enough, so that only she could hear. Xayah can feel a blush creeping up her cheeks when she hears his answer and she nods excitedly. "So, that's the one we get right?" he asks her and her smile widens as her eyes begin to shine like stars. He loves this look on her, and he would do anything to keep that smile on her lips. "That's a 'yes' I guess! Go change and meet me here." he says with a loving smile as she walks back into the changing room with quick steps. 

When Xayah reaches the room she closes the door, bringing both hands to her face. 'He said I look beautiful I can't believe it! Maybe I do stand a chance after all...' she thinks as she undresses and puts on her casual clothes again, already feeling more comfortable than before. She checks herself in the mirror, making sure that she is looking the best she can before heading out to meet Rakan. She stops dead in her tracks when she sees Rakan kissing another girl a few feet away from her. She turns back and runs straight back into the room, shutting the door behind her. 'Of course he would do something like that... Like I ever had a chance.. I'm such an idiot! It was just a kiss on the cheek.. It could be just a greeting? But he doesn't greet me like that! And it certainly didn't look like a friendly greeting to me.. Why do I even bother anyways.. I knew this was gonna happen... ' her thought run wild as she can feel the tears building up behind her eyes. She sits on the ground her back on the door, knees close to her chest as she closes her eyes, a few tears running down her cheek. She shakes her head as a small sob escapes. 'I thought it was something more...' she thinks but stops instantly when she hears someone knocking on the door, followed by Rakan's worried voice "Xayah are you okay in there? Need any help with something?" he asks, his voice low, but loud enough for her to hear. "N-no I'm fine, go away..." she says, mumbling the last two words breathlessly, she was sure he could hear them though. "Ahmm okay.." she hears Rakan say, then he sighs and she can feel his steps as he backs away. 'Keep your head up Xayah' she tells herself as she wipes her tears, making sure there are no clues that she cried, just a few moments before and heads out once more. 

Rakan is officially confused. He has no idea what happened, at one moment she was so happy he thought she might explode and the next she seems depressed... When they came back home she ran to her room, telling him not to disturb her and that she is not hungry. And now he stands there in front of the door with his mouth agape, asking himself what went wrong and when. 'She was fine before she got in the changing room, but got out sad...' he thinks closing the door and moving towards the stairs to get to his room, so he can change into something more comfortable. 

"I saw him kiss another girl Saki! I have no chances against girls like her. She was tall, fit and her clothes were sexy... In comparison to me... I mean, look at me!" she hisses moving her hands around and over her body. "I look terrible!" Saki is chirping with the same tone as hers. "Even if I look cute, that's not _his_ style! Even if he told me that he wants me to be myself.." Saki raises a brow and chirps again. "Yeah he said so, moments before I saw him... Doing what I told you..." she replies and throws herself on her bed, face into the pillows to suppress a yell. Then she turns on her back looking at Saki with tears in her eyes. "I was fooled Saki..." she says as she sobs and Saki moves closer to her chirping in a lower tone. "Yeah that is a point but-..." Saki interrupts her again. "Wait Riku told you what?" she says, wiping the tears from her face.

"You told Saki what?" he asks, surprise visible on his face. He is sitting on the kitchen table, his hands in his hair, shocked from what he just heard. "You told Saki.. That I told you it's important for me to look good today, because Xayah is important to me... Do you realise what you have done Riku??" Riku looks at Rakan confused for a second and the chirps happily. "She doesn't like me like that, you know it! Plus look at what I've done! I somehow managed to make her sad, so much so that she went straight to her room...." Rakan sighs and places his face in his hands "What am I going to doooo?" Riku makes a short chirp and then a longer one giving him his thoughts. "Yeah I should propably talk to her... You didn't need to call me an idiot though.." he says with a smile before petting Riku's head, making him squeal. "That's revenge you grumpy bird!" he says as Riku starts flying around his head, picking on his hair. 

"I didn't see that coming" Xayah says to Saki as she hears Rakan yelling from downstairs. "What's he saying?" she asks herself and Saki shrugs then chirps. Xayah looks confused "Not the hair? Why would he say 'Not the hair'?" Saki chirps once more, making Xayah burst out laughing. "Riku is picking at Rakan's hair??" She repeats as she can feel a single tear running down her cheek, which she wipes with the back of her hand. "I didn't think I could laugh this hard..." she tells Saki after a minute or two. "I should change and then I think I'll just sleep for an hour or two... I don't feel like doing anything else." she says as she gets up and undresses herself putting on her pyjamas and falling on her bed once more. She covers herself with the heavy and soft blanket she has and let's sleep take her. 

"Riku I swear if you touch my hair again I will.... Pet you to death!" says Rakan as he runs his hand through his hair for the tenth time to make absolutely sure everything is in place again, while Riku has a smug expression on his face. "I should propably make something to eat..." he mumbles as his belly makes a noise. "Would Xayah like some carbonara? I think we have the ingredients somewhere around here." he asks himself mostly but to his surprise he hears a chirping from beside him, not Riku's though. He turns his head to find Saki sitting on his shoulder. "Hey Saki..." he says with a sad smile as he scratches her head with a finger. "So she wouldn't like it?" he questions, and Saki nods."So what should I go for?" he asks and Saki replies with another more cheerful chirp. "Hmm ok... Spaghetti Bolognese it is then" he says and stands still for a moment before turning his head to Saki once more "Is she ok? I wouldn't describe her as happy when we arrived.." he continues and Saki takes a moment before chirping back, the sound a little quieter than usual. "I see...It's okay that you can't tell me, I'll ask her myself." he says and flashes a small smile before starting to cook. 

When he is almost done he looks at the stairs 'She told me not to disturb her.. But she might be hungry...' he sighs as he slowly walks up the stairs and gently knocks on her door. "Xayah, foods ready, come down please?" he asks, his voice not too loud, just in case she is sleeping. He knocks once more, but doesn't get an answer. After a moment he decides to open the door 'Just to check on her' and so he does and finds himself in a dark room, the only light coming from the hallway he was coming in from. Thankfully his eyes adjusted to the brightness or lack of mostly, quickly. He saw Xayah's sleeping form on her bed, covered up to her head with her blanket, so much so that he could only make out her ears. "Hey Xayah?" he whispers, but again, no response. He suppresses a sigh and moves closer to her, sitting on the edge of her bed. "What happened Xayah, hm? What did I do? How can I fix this... I wanted to make this day special! And it seemed to go very well... You seemed happy and I wanted to keep it that way... But I guess, somehow I blew it... And I want to make it right.. I don't know why I'm even telling you this now... Guess because I'm too much of a coward to tell you when you're awake.. " he says, whispering, as he puts one of his hands on her back, stroking it gently before he gets up with a sigh, walking out of the room and after he gives her one more look he closes the door, just as gently as he opened it. 

Xayah turned around looking at the door which Rakan had just closed. 'He wants to fix this? He cares? He wants me to be.. Happy? I didn't think he-... " her thoughts are interrupted by her rumbling stomach. 'Guess I really have to go downstairs..' she thinks as she gets up, but before she opens the door a thought crosses her mind 'What if he is downstairs too? I don't want to face him right now... Maybe later?' her eyes wonder around her room searching for Saki. She finds her on the nightstand beside her bed "Hey, Saki is Rakan sitting in the kitchen?" she asks biting her lower lip. Saki takes a good look at Xayah for a moment and after some thought she chirps. "No.. Good." she says as she nods with a smile on her face, opening the door and rushing downstairs. Saki shakes her head and follows her down the steps, to the kitchen.

Rakan hears footsteps from the stairs, and gets up from the couch in which he was sitting, mindlessly watching TV. 'Seems like someone is out of their room...' he thinks and moves toward the kitchen only to find Xayah looking around in the fridge. "Hello there." he says as he leans on the doorframe, his hands crossed over his chest. "Looking for something?" he asks with a smile as she turns around surprised 'Damn you Saki...' she thinks "Uhmm... No I'm good!" she replies and tries to leave the room before he gets in front of her stopping her. "Xayah, what is it? Why are you acting like this?" concern is clear in his voice and his eyes emit the same emotion. "I-... I'm not-..." she starts but doesn't continue her sentences, her gaze turning to the floor. "You really want to know?" she asks, as she can feel tears forming in her eyes. "Yes, please..." he replies, voice pleading. "I... I saw you... With another girl.. At the store..." she says, but stops again, wiping her tears from her face. 'Oh nonononono' Rakan thought 'No tears please...' he wanted to hug her and never let go, but knew he couldn't. "This? It was nothing I assure you, she's a friend from school and we happened to be under a mistletoe, so I gave her a kiss on the cheek..." he tells her, searching for her eyes. "A-.. A mistletoe?" she repeats, lifting her head to meet his eyes with hers. "Yeah... I mean, you could have gotten one too, if you didn't actively avoid each and every one of them!" he says laughing, in an effort to cheer her up. "I was NOT actively avoiding them!" she throws back, her voice high as she chuckles. 'Good' Rakan thought. 

"So im guessing you're pretty hungry, right?" he runs a hand though his hair as he chuckles. "A bit", she laughs, avoiding his eyes as a blush creeps across her cheeks and she draws small circles on the tabletop. "Okay, you just sit there, while I get a plate ready for you." he says and with a swift movement he turns to the shelf, getting a plate out of it, which he puts on the counter. "You dont need to! I can do this myself!" Her voice pitches slightly higher as the blush on her face darkens and she leaps from her chair. Rakan quickly turns and meets her eyes with his. "I said, I'll get it ready. I know you can do it yourself, but... I want to do it for you... It is my.." he stops and looks around as if searching for the word on the walls of the room "responsibility, after all" he continues after a moment. She looks at him surprise, slightly shaking her head. "Your responsibility? You dont need to feel like this, you know?" She smiles and moves towards him, stopping right behind him, looking with a shy expression right into his face. "But it is! See I'm the team's blue gem, which means I am responsible for taking care of you...And the others!" he says as he touches his gem, turning his head to look at her, a soft smile on his lips. "So please, let me do this". She steps a little closer to him, hugging his arm and placing her head on his shoulder. "I dont care about your gem color, I dont want that you feel forced to take care of me just cause of the gems, you know? I like you ways to much to take adventage of something like this", she whispers, closing her eyes with a soft smile. "To be honest, I would do it anyways, I'm using my gem as an excuse to spoil you all." he says a playfull smile, on his lips, not sure if she can hear his heart beating faster and stronger, because of the distance (or lack of) between them.

Her smile grows wider as she clinges stronger to him for a moment, before she gentry nods and goes back to the table, sitting down in front of Saki, who gives her a questioning look. "If its really okay for you", she mumbles and the blush on her cheek turns deeper. She looks at Saki, smiling softly as she crawl the soft feathers, quitly whispering. "I wish I could tell him."

"Hm? What did you say, I didn't catch that.." he turns around, putting the plate on the table in front of her. For a moment she feels like her face would be in flames, shaking her head fast. "It's... it's fine!" Her voice turns higher then usual and she looks on her fingers, avoid his eyes. "I... I was talking to Saki!"

"Are you sure you are fine? Your face is rose red." he chuckles, not able to hold himself in check, as he glances at Riku with alook that says 'Not my fault'. The familiar just shrugs and Rakan turns his attention back to Xayah. "Ye... Yeah, I'm fine! Really... It's just... it was just... a stupid thought!" She laughs softly and starts to take a bite from her plate, trying to escape the situation. 

He thinks about going onward with his teasing, but decides to show mercy. Witha pirruete he get's a clean glass from the counter and pours some water into it and then putting it beside her plate. "Thank you" she mumbles softly. After that he sits on the seat opposite to her. "Do you like it?" he asks nervously. "I love it!" She smiles brightly, looking dreamly into his direction. 'But not as much as you', she thinks, biting her tongue to not speaking it out loud. "What do you want to do after this?"

"Uhm... I was thinking that we could watch a movie or something, what do you think?". She nods happily, taking another bite. "Sure! Which one would you like?". He thinks for a moment "I'm not sure which genre you would like...How are you doing with horror movies?". She smiles, blushing again. "Im fine with watching them", she chuckles, before looking at him. 'So i got a excuse why im clingy, perfect for me.' 

"Good! When you're done with your food we will go and choose one together!" he says with excitement. 'Nice now i dont an excuse to keep her close!'

"Oh, you can choose one on your own, I trust your judgement," She laughs cheerfully, taking the last bit of pasta and taking a sip, before she goes over to the sink, cleaning her plate. "I guess I will not be able to convince you to let me take care of the plate, right?" he asks already walking towards the living room. "Absolutly not", she laughs, looking after him while she cleans the plate and set it aside to dry before she runs over to the living room, leaping on the couch happily and smiling at him. "Well someone is in a good mood." he cheers before he gets on his knees in front of the shelf under the TV, where they put the movies, searching for the one he had in mind. He had seen it before, so he could use that to his advantage. "Maaaaybe!" She draggs the word while another blush creeps over her cheeks and she sits down on the couch, taking her legs to her chest and placing her chin or her knees, watching him attentively. 

"That's good" he mumbles and a moment later finds the movie he is looking for. He turns around and goes to Xayah, showing her the movie. "How about this one?" he asks still on his knees, waiting for her to answer. He would either put it straight into the device and hit play, or back in the shelf and search for another one. "You can put it in, surprise me with you taste and show me if it's at good for movies as it is with other things", she teases, playing with a strand of her hair. "You won't be dissapointed! I think..." he replies, mumbling the last two words, as he turns around, putting the movie into the player and then sitting next to her, leaving a short amount of space between them, so that he doesn't invade her space. "Ready?" he asks turning to look at her with a soft smile on his lips. She nods, sliding slightly towards him, hoping he doesnt see it. 'I cant even be dissappointed in you', she smiles, looking to the screen. 

He notices that she slides closer to him and smiles, moving a tad closer himself so that their bodies touch and puts his hand behind her head on the back of the couch. "Do you mind?" he asks gesturing at his hand. She cuddles up to him, laying her head on her shoulder, purring softly. "Its fine", she smiles, looking up to him with a shy smile. He smiles brightly, feeling his heartbeat quicken at the contact. "I- I forgot to get some snacks from the kitchen, do you want me to go get some?" asks, not really feeling like leaving the couch, but finding himself in need to ask. She looks up in surprise, smiling softly. "You want some? I can get them fast. If you just ask cause of me, I dont want some", she laughs, still looking into his face with a bright smile. "If...It doesnt bother you much, it would be nice..." he mumbles shyly. 

With a huge smile she jumps from the couch, running over to the shelf with snacks, grabbing some chips and wine gum as she sees a huge package of chocolate, which she grabs as well. Satisfied she runs back to him, leaping on the couch and jumps on top of his legs, spreading the candy all over the couch. "I hope it's enough", she laughs, looking at him. Rakan looks at her surprised, with a loving smile spreading on his lips, as he puts his arms around her without thinking about it too much. "Yeah, it should be enough" he laughs as he looks into her eyes "Thank you" he continues and then grabs the chocolate, opening the wrapping, breaking 3 pieces and eating them instantly "Do you want some?" he turns his eyes on her, blushing as he thinks he looks a little more like a child than he should. She shakes her head laughing, her eyes shining brightly. "No, thank you", she laughs cheerfully as she gives him a short kiss on the cheek before she cuddles up to him again, humming happily. 

'I must be dreaming' he thinks as he holds her, taking in her scent, closing his eyes for a few seconds and leaning his head on her. He enjoys the fact that they are this close 'Wish this could last forever...' he thinks as he smiles. She humms happily as she cuddles closer to him, hugging his arm and laying her head against his arm, drawing with her fingers small circles on his skin while she focus on the movie. 

Some time has passed and Rakan starts to recognise the beginnings of a scene that she might find scary. 'I can't wait to see her reaction' he thinks as he looks at her, a slight smile dancing on his lips.The mood of the movie was getting darker and the music more intense, he knows it is close. 'Any time now...' he thinks as he starts to count down the seconds, knowing the movie by heart.

For a moment Xayah's heart starts to beat faster as she hears the music, which grows more intense by the second. 'He doesn't know, that I know the movie? Or did you tell him? Did you tell him that you like horror movies? Oh... what should I do now?' Her heart beats even faster and she bites her lowerlip, deciding to risk it. 

Knowing every second of the movie, she turns away from the scream, pretending to be scared, as she clinges to his shirt, cuddling up to him and whispering, how scared she is. 'Is it too much? Does he believe your show?'

He is surprised when she practically jumps on him, clinging and mumbling in his chest. 'Well i surely didn't expect such a reaction' he thinks as he looks between her and the tv. 'But i'll take it...' he puts his arms around her "It's okay now, it's over, you can look" he whispers, as a soft smile appears on his lips.She shakes her head, hiding her face in his chest, smiling brightly, knowing he cant see it. 'Is it too much? Does he want me to stop? I... I dont want to overdo it', she thinks, closing her eyes as she hugs him closer.

"Or you can just stay like that, i dont really mind" he puts a little more pressure with his hands around her, as to remind her that he is there with her 'I hope you don't mind either...' he thinks as he moves his hand up and down her back, both to comfort her and himself.She purrs loudly, cuddling closer to him and let herself sink down, face towards his belly and pressing her face into it. 'I can't believe I'm doing this', she thinks, her smile grows wider as she lays her hands on his back, stroking softly.

Rakan laughs as he brings one hand to her hair, though falling short, thinking that this might be a bit too much for her. "So how do you like the movie?" he decides to ask, blushing a little as he looks at her.For a second she trembles, caught offguard, before she looks up at him with eyes wide open. "It's good", she whispers, before she burys her face into his chest again, absorbing his scent while a loving smile creeps across her lips. 

'Okay, focus, **focus** Rakan....' he thinks as he shivers. "You know, Neeko likes this movie as well" he says a little too fast in a whisper, afraid that his voice might start wavering. He isn't used to this, her in his arms, her head on his chest. He could feel every breath she took and that caused him a shiver even more than before, as he hoped she wouldn't notice. She hugs him even tighter, rubbing her cheek against his shirt, placing a short and gentle kiss on his chest, sure that he cant see it. "She got a good taste, you know, I like her alot." Xayah whispers softly, still hiding her face. 'Why is he talking about Neeko? How can I get his attention back? Damn', she thinks, pressing her eyes shut.

"I'm happy you like her, I do too! A lot actually... She is like a little sister to me. There is nothing I wouldn't do to make her smile..." he is now looking at the screen, but not really, his mind seems to be elsewhere 'Or to make you smile' he thinks and turns his eyes to look at her with a loving stare, his lips forming a soft, yet small smile.

She looks up into his face, eyes wide open, fighting to stop her lowerlip from trembling. "So... the girl you told me about, the girl you like, its her. It's Neeko." Her voice shivers slightly as she looks away and she changes back into a upright position. 

He feels like he is hit by a truck. Him and... Neeko? 'How... What? No, just no' he thinks frowning at her. "What? No! Of course not. I would never think of Neeko that way. I can't even understand how you made such a connection. When I said she is like a sister to me, I meant that in my eyes she is my younger sister." he is laughing by the end of the last sentence, as he looks in her eyes, searching for a reaction. 

Slowly she shakes her head. "Everyone knows that this means you just dont want to confess that you like her. Little Sister is nothing else than an excuse to yourself. Just... just think about Katarina and Garen! First they said they hate each other, when they grew closer to each other they said they are like siblings. Garen always said Kata is like his little sister and now? They are dating!" She looks away, dragging her knees to her chest as she places her cheek on them, her eyes focused on the wall on the other side of the room, away from him. "No just... No Xayah.... It.. It's not like, not at all. It makes me sick to even think about it, please, stop it..." the smile has left his face as his voice has turned into a whisper, his eyes glued to her face, as he desperately tries to convince her that she is wrong. 

She shakes her head, laying her head on her knees as her ears drop down to her head. 'It doesnt matter who it is. What are we doing here? What am I doing? I'm acting like... like I think I would stand a chance but he's already into someone else! Why isnt he stopping me?! Why isnt he stopping me from hurting myself?' She bites her lowerlip and her thoughts run wild. "Xayah, hey, are you okay?" he is now beside her, his eyes searching for hers. For a long moment she doesnt answer before she puts her best fake smile on and smiles at him, nodding. "Ye...Yeah, I am! As good as always. You dont need to worry, Rakan. Everything is fine." 

Rakan knows what his face looks like. He looks sad. He can feel the tears build up behind his eyes as he shakes his head, his gaze now on the floor. "You know you're a terrible liar, don't you?" his voice is small, barely above a whisper when he speaks to her. He looks at her then, a sad smile on his lips. "I don't know... What is on your mind right now, but it isn't good and it makes you sad... And I don't want you to be sad... And I-.. I don't like the fact that I made you feel like this...". 

She looks up, right into his face, shaking her head as she places her hand on his arm. "It's not your fault. It's mine. I thou-" She stops, biting her tongue as she looks away again, pressing her eyes shut in embrassment. 'Damn you Xayah, you nearly told him! Get your ass together and stop it!' She moves slightly towards him again. "Lets... watch the movie, okay?" She feels how her stomach turns and a hollow feeling spreads inside her, hoping its not visible. "I...guess we can do that yes.." he replies. "Here take this, I will be fine without it.." he covers her with the blanket they previously used together, as he was sure she wouldn't ask for it and he was even more sure that she wouldn't want to be close to him at that moment. "I cant leave you freezing", she whispers, moving next to him and covering him as well, lightly laying her head on his shoulder. Rakan looks at her surprised "I thought-..." he starts but stops himself "Nevermind... Thank you" he mumbles happily as he puts his arm on the back of the couch, so she can lean more comfortably against him.

She smiles softly, moving into a more comfortable position, looking to the screen while her thoughs still center around the last few minutes and what happened. She yawns slightly, her eyes fixed on the flickering TV. He turns his attention on the screen as well, enjoying the moment. His mind runs through the last few minutes. How vastly her mood changed when he mentioned another girl, even if that girl was... Little Neeko. He shakes his head as her words reach his mind once more. If it was someone else suggesting something like that, his reaction would have been... Different. That's how he'd like to put it. He turns his attention on Xayah and thinks about doing something, maybe stroke her arm with the tip of his fingers, but he stops himself. He is afraid of her reaction and is not sure if she would like something like that. And so he just holds hers, content to be close to her. She bites her lowerlip, waiting for his reaction, feeling abit disappointed that he doesn't hug her or something. 'Not a surprise after your show...' She grimaces during this thought as she yawns again, closing her eyes. He drops his arm from the back of the couch, to rest on her shoulder and as a result their bodies come a little closer. He notices that this was the second time she yawns. "Are you tired? Would you like to sleep?" he asks her as he puts light pressure on her body with his arm and looks at her lovingly.

She shakes her head, smiling tired. "No, no. I'm awake!", she smiles at him before she looks to the screen again. It doesnt take long until her eyes close and she moves down in her sleep, in an uncomfortable position. 'Yeah I can tell' he thinks as he smiles and moves her body, so she lies in a much more comfortably. He puts her arms in front of her, and her head on his lap after he made sure her legs are stretched so she doesn't hurt herself while sleeping. He smiles at the sight and turns his gaze on the TV, as there was still a few minutes of the movie left to actually watch. His right hand finds it's way on her arm, where he starts to mindlessly trace patterns as he starts humming a peaceful melody quitly. She mumbles happily in her sleep, moving her head closer towards his belly before she rolls to the side, moving her hand to rest on center, while grabbing his shirt, mumuring into his chest. He smiles and takes her hand from his shirt and holds it into his, giving it a light squeeze. He moves his left hand wanting to run his fingers through her pink hair but stops half way. 'Should I do it? Would it be too much? What if she wakes up?' the thoughts run through his mind but he ultimately decides to go for it. She sighs in her sleep, smiling happily as she mumbles his name, her fingers tighten around his. She moves back back in her old position, her face tunred into his direction, her mouth slightly open with a relaxed and calm smile. 

Rakan thinks for a moment 'Should I pick her up or wake her?'. He scratches the back of his head while he looks at her sleeping peacefully. 'I guess I'll have to pick her up, it would be a shame to ruin it for her...' he decides as he gets up, holding her in his arms, her body as close to his as possible, moving up the stairs and inside Xayah's room. He puts her sleeping form on the bed, making sure to cover her with a fluffy, and quite heavy, blanket he found on it. When he is done he stops for a moment to appreciate the sight in front of him. She laid on her side, one hand under her pillow and the other resting under her cheek. 'How can someone look so... So... Like this!' he thinks and then Xayah makes a happy sound that tears him out of his thoughts. She now had a smile on her face, which she hid in her pillow. Rakan couldn't resist. He sat on the edge of the bed and started to stroke her cheek, earning another purr from Xayah. 'I have to stop...' he thinks and moves his hand away, which made Xayah make a whining sound. He turns his gaze on the door, then back to her and sighs. He leans towards her face and places a gentle kiss on her forehead "Sleep well dear..." he mumbles and gets up, exiting the room and closing the door behind him.

Bathed in sweat, Xayah wakes up, resting her head on her knees, pressing a hand against her forehead and wiping away the cold sweat. "Damn..." she mumbles softly, suppressing a sob, before jumping out of her bed and sneaking to Rakan's room, opening the door a crack and peering inside. "Rakan?" she whispers softly, holding her breath. No response. 

"Rakan?"

This time he murmurs in his sleep, gesturing for her to join him. Slowly, she walks over before climbing into his bed and snuggling close, shutting her eyes and drifting off into a much calmer sleep. A happy purr escapes her lips as he takes her into a tight hug.

When Xayah wakes up again a few hours later, it takes her a moment to free herself from his grip before she runs over to the bathroom with quick steps, still half asleep, and steps inside without turning on the light. Yawning sleepily, she steps out of the bathroom, eyes half-closed, as she walks back to her room and looks thoughtfully at the floor. 'The first dream was terrifying.... But the other one... it was... confusing... 'Why am I dreaming that I'm sharing a bed with Rakan? How can it be that... oh, don't pretend. You know exactly why you're dreaming this. You're so hopeful, but he's into someone else. He's just being nice to you and taking care of you because you're close. But not the way you'd like him to-'

With a shrill scream, she falls to the floor, looking up in surprise, her brow furrowing. "Why is the door closed? I left it open, didn't I!"

Rakan wakes up. He heard a noise from the hallway 'No.. A scream... Xayah?' he thinks and then gets up to check on what happened. When he exits his room he sees Xayah on the floor in front of her door, staring at it. "Are you ok? I heard a scream, are you hurt?" he asks, rubbing one of his eyes with the back of his hand.

She looks up in confusion, nodding slightly. "I... uhm... yeah, I am. I thought my door would be open but I guess i closed it." She laughs while getting back on her feet, opening her door and looks at him with a smile. "Good night Rakan", she laughs, giving him a even brighter smile. "Goodnight dear" he replies sleepily, a smile finding its way on his lips as Xayah steps in her room, closing the door behind her. He stands there staring at it for a moment before it hits him that he should probably go to bed as well. He turns around and walks back to his room jumping on his bed. He is surprised to find a familiar scent on his pillow, he knows it very well, but can't put his finger on it. 'Smells nice... like Xayah' he thinks as a smile creeps on his lips, before he let 's sleep take him.


	10. Twinkle, twinkle little star

Next morning comes and Rakan awakes when something starts poking his head. After a few swings of his hand above his head, he is awake enough to realize that Riku has been poking his hair, to get him out of sleep. "Did you... Really wake me up on a Sunday morning?" he asks as he rubs his eyes with the back of his hand. Riku chirps cheerfully, making him sigh in defeat. "So it is actually late?" another chirp comes from Riku. 

"Okay then, guess you are right!" he says and with one fast and not-so-graceful move he gets out of bed, barely not falling over. 'Damn, it's like I didn't move all night...' he thinks and then gets out of his room, heading for the bathroom. When he enters the room and he looks himself in the mirror he decides that it's time to get ready for the day. After going through his daily morning routine of making sure that he looks absolutely dashing, he exits the bathroom. 

With quick steps he runs to Xayah's room, standing outside her closed door, wondering if he should knock or not. 'But when did I ever knock, right?' he thinks to himself and opens the door, gently and slowly. He takes a look inside and sees Xayah is still asleep, covered with her thick blanket up to her head, so he could only see her ears. Smiling he closes the door, just as gently as he opened it. 'Time for some breakfast!'. With swift movements he runs down the stairs and then turning left to find himself in the kitchen. 

"Riku, what do you think about some pancakes with some fruit on top and a glass of freshly pressed juice?" Rakan turns to his companion with an excited look on his face. Riku chirps in agreement, but adds a questioning sound by the end. 

"Well, of course there will be chocolate on my own, but I don't know if Xayah wants some or not..." he explains as he looks up dreamily at the sound of Xayah's name. Riku chirps frustrated and Rakan shakes his head. "Let's make some breakfast, shall we?" a smirk graces his lips as he begins with the preparation.

Some time later, when everything is done and ready on the table he walks up the stairs, on his way to wake Xayah up. He stands in front of the door and decides to knock this time. "Xayah! Breakfast is ready, time to get up!" he says after knocking on the door three times.

Her ears twitch at the sound of knocking against her door, she opens her eyes slightly and mumbles sleepily, before she closes her eyes again, pressing her pillow right on her face. For a moment Saki looks down on her, before she flutters towards the door, scratching with her claw against the wood as she chirps softly that Xayah had a rough night and is still sleepy, hoping Rakan is able to hear her.

"Oh I understand..." Rakan mumbles. 'If she won't come to breakfast, then it will come to her!' with quick movements he rushes downstairs, carefully taking everything in his hands and moving to Xayah's room again. "Riku can you get the doorknob for me?" he whispers and instantly Riku pushes the doorknob, opening it.

Pushing the door with his backside Rakan gets in her room and puts her plate on her bedside table. He sits on the edge of her bed and slightly pressures her shoulder with his hand "Hey Xayah... Come, time for your breakfast..." he whispers softly, with a smile on his lips.

With a low scream she rises up, sleep still visible in her eyes, as she looks around in surprise before her eyes rest on his and the expression on her face starts to relax. Without even thinking about it she throws herself around his neck, shivers running through her whole body as the thinks of her dream, which slowly fade away. "Oh Rakan...", she whispers, hugging him even tighter than before, burying her face in his neck and inhaling his scent. 'I'm so glad you are here', she thinks, fighting against her fears and tears.

He is surprised by the contact but quickly reacts, wrapping his arms tightly around her "Hey, hey... Everything is okay, you're fine..." he mumbles as he moves his hand on her back, hoping to comfort her "What's wrong?" he asks after a few moments.

She shakes her head, losing the fight when a single tear runs down her cheek, she looks up into his eyes, seeing his soft and comforting smile, which leads her to break into tears completely. "It was just a nightmare", she mumbles as she turns her face away.

"Yeah, I gathered as much, but whatever it was about, it has shaken you..." He whispers with a soft voice. "Tell me, what was it about? You don't have to hide from me..." he continues as he searches for her eyes, feeling worried for her, as he sees that she has burst into tears.

She returns her eyes to his, nodding slowly. "It was... about an attack. Voidspawn attacked us and... and ... it was more than we are used to...", she whispers, her lower lip trembling. "So much more", she adds softly, her expression becoming blank. "Something was odd but I... I-I can’t tell you what. I told Ahri something but I couldn’t understand what it was and then hell broke loose." 

She shakes her head slowly as the trembling moves across her whole body. "I remember how Neeko and me were cornered and a huge monster showed up, hitting for us but... you came a... and... and... and you pushed us out of the way and got hit instead. We tried to help you but it was too late... You died in a second and we couldn't do anything", she starts crying loudly, throwing herself against his chest and holding tightly onto him, her fingers burying into his shirt which starts to get wet from her tears and she becomes even clingier by the second.

"Shh... It's okay, I'm here and I'm okay, you are okay as well and I talked with Neeko this morning! Everyone is fine... And I hope that what you saw never happens, but I need you to know that if you, Neeko or the other two are in danger, I would not hesitate, not for a heartbeat." he turns serious as he smooths her hair, his other hand still tracing patterns on her back.

Her crying becomes worse and she shakes her head, pink hair hitting her face and his arm before she looks up into his face, thick tears running down her own. "This doesn’t help, not for a second. Please promise me to not risk your own life for me! It's not worth it if you die!", she cries, pressing her face against his chest.

"I wish I could promise you that, but I can't.... None of you will get hurt, not on my watch..." his voice is thick with emotion, as he knows that he would give his life without a second thought for any of them, he realized that some time ago. He will look after them, even if it means his demise. He turns his eyes to Xayah and he smiles sadly, as he is not able to tell her what she wants to hear.

She presses her head harder against his chest, shaking it vehemently. "It's not worth it...My life isn't worth more than yours. You can't sacrifice yourself for someone like me... you are too important", she cries softly into his chest, still shaking her head, while holding onto him.

He sighs "That's what you don't get, you are important. And someone like you is exactly who I would give my life for. You, Neeko, Ahri, Sarah... All of you are far too important for me and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I knew that one of you got hurt when I could prevent it"

She looks deep into his eyes, shaking her head again. "You are our team’s healer; the team needs you. It’s much easier to find someone else like me than another healer. The others need you", she whispers, her tears slowly fade away. 'I can't let you die for my mistakes. I can't. I love you way too much to let this happen', she thinks, nearly losing her eyes in his.

Rakan shakes his head "I am not a healer, dear. Healing is something I can provide because I am... Me. The blue Gem is supposed to protect the rest of the team. Also, even if I wasn't a blue Gem, I would still do it. Because I care for you, all of you. This team, as I have told you before is like a family, kind of... So the only way I can promise you to not hurt myself in order to save you, is if there is no need to save you in the first place!" He tries to lighten the mood with the last sentence, an attempt at a joke and he chuckles, waiting for her reaction.

A small smile creeps across her lips as she shakes her head timidly. "You can try as much as you want, you won’t leave without telling me that you will not risk yourself for me", she whispers, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks, not looking away this time. "You know, I'm the worst *little sister* you could have then. I'm not even looking for trouble, but trouble seems to find me. I'm dumb and foolish, most of the times not careful enough. I won't risk you for someone like me." 

She slides closer to him, placing her hands against his chest and looking deeper into his eyes then before. "I might be the first Star Guardian who doesn’t die an honorfull death during a battle but cause she fell over her own feet and broke her neck", she laughs softly, smiling at him. “Promise me, Rakan. Please!"

He smiles as he chuckles. "You will not break your neck, because I will sweep you off your feet, before you can hit the ground silly, that's what i said. Have you been paying attention to what I’m saying?" he asks as he tries to adopt a serious look, but failing miserably as he can't hide the smile on his lips.

She bites her lower lip as she turns her eyes away, feeling the heat in her cheeks rise even more. "I did", she mumbles, looking embarrassed to the ground as she slides slowly away from him. She scratches awkwardly at her cheek, keeping her eyes on the ground. "I'm just not sure how you will make sure you could do this. It's not like we spent every minute together", she whispers. Her eyes are glued on the carpet and she bites her lower lip stronger than before, tasting blood slightly.

'What are you doing? Are you dumb? You nearly threw yourself on him, trying to allure him into a kiss... you know he likes someone else, why are you doing this to yourself? He didn’t react anyway...', she thinks as a small sigh escapes her lips.

Rakan keeps looking at her, searching for her eyes as he misses her touch from just moments ago. “Well...I mean; I can try my best...If that's not enough..." he turns his gaze to the floor as he takes a deep breath at the thought of him failing to protect them. "It will be enough!" he continues with determination clear in his eyes as much as in his voice.

She looks up again as she hears the determination in his voice, nodding slightly. "I will do my best too, making sure you won't need to risk yourself for me and I'll do my best to protect you as well", she whispers, looking embarrassed onto her fingers.

He smiles as he slides closer to her, one arm going around her shoulder to get her in an one-arm-hug, holding her tightly at first, but loosening his grip the very next second. "I know you will." he whispers as he studies her, not sure about what is troubling her mind exactly.

She slides closer to him as well when she feels his touch, closing her eyes in enjoyment, a soft smile on her lips. For a split second a shiver runs down her spine, leaving her trembling for a short second. She looks up into his eyes again, feeling her cheeks turning red again,

Returning her gaze, he feels his heart speed up inside his chest as he looks into her eyes, feeling his lips part slightly, but his body doesn’t dare make a move and his mind is blank. 'What now?' he asks himself 'Don't do anything stupid!' his mind responds in his inner dialogue, so he decides to stand still and watch, wait for her to make a move, whichever that move might be.

She keeps looking into his eyes, rising up slightly, her face coming a bit closer to his, as their eyes lock. She can feel her heart beat even faster than before, feeling it throb behind her eyes. 'It's so loud...What if he can hear it?', it flits through her mind, her cheeks taking on an even darker shade of red. 'What are we doing? What if he would regret it afterwards? What if he would regret me?', she thinks while sliding even closer to him.

He holds his breath as he sees her advance, feeling his heart jump up to his throat. Making the slightest of movements, he moves himself towards her, slowly, thinking that he could somehow break the moment, even if it didn't make sense in his mind. Everything else is shut out of his mind. The only thing he can see is her beautiful face, as his gaze switches between her eyes and her lips.

She rises up slowly, moving with her face closer to him as she bites her lower lip slightly, feeling her heart race in her chest. She presses her hands softly against his chest, sitting down on his lap, still not breaking the eye contact. 'Should I do it? What if he pushes me away? I could never look into his face again...'

With a gentle movement he wraps his arms around her. He wants to say something, anything if he was being honest, but no words leave his mouth. Did he take a breath all this time? He honestly has no idea and he can't bother. He can feel his heart violently bump against his chest and he is almost certain that it could break at any moment.

For a second she holds her breath, feeling his arms around her, his closeness, his warmth. She swallows, trying to order her thoughts but realizing it's impossible. She clings closer to him, burying her hands in his shirt as she steadies herself, pressing her lips gently against his with her eyes closed. Her heart beats faster than before, feeling like it would explode any moment. 'This feels right... how can it feel right? He loves someone else... what the hell am I doing?!' Her thoughts run wild, unable to retreat.

He closes his eyes, as his world explodes when her lips touch his. They are so soft and her kiss is so gentle, the moment so fragile. He can feel his stomach twist in a knot, his heart racing. With his right hand he caresses her cheek, then letting the movement flow, down to the soft skin on her neck and then her arm, ending up in her own hand, which he holds gently.

She leans in his touch, her eyes still closed as she slowly separates from his lips. She opens her eyes partway, her cheeks still a lovely shade of rose when she shakes her head slowly, biting her lower lip. "I shouldn’t have done this... I'm so sorry Rakan... I'm so so sorry." She looks to the ground, embarrassment clearly visible. 'What have I done? I'm ruining our friendship... I'm so dumb... I'm so so dumb... I know he is into someone else...' She closes her eyes partially again, looking down on her fingers, which still lay in his hand.

He moves his free hand and puts a stray strand of her pink hair out of her face, his thumb lingering on her cheek "Don't be..." he whispers breathlessly as he squeezes her hand. His eyes desperately search for hers, missing the eye contact.

Slowly her eyes return to his, a questioning yet sad look in them. For a small second her eyes move back on their hands before she returns them back to his face. "W-What?", she whispers softly.

He swallows before he can answer, realizing that this is his chance 'Okay Rakan, it's now or never! Come on!' he thinks as he looks deep into her eyes, seeing the confusion all over her face. "I... I don’t..." he starts, but his words fail him. Taking a look at their hands, he intertwines their fingers and a smile starts to spread on his lips. 

"I want this... Us! I-... You see, I like you... A lot... Since the very first moment. Not just as a friend... I would like it if we could be... Something more...?" he stops for a second and turns his gaze to the side, thinking about how ridiculous he sounds. "Right now, I can only hope that you feel the same. If you don't, then it is completely fine! We can go on like this never happened... Even though it would hurt... If you don't want *this* then I will respect it." he takes a deep, shaky breath when he is done with his confession, as he looks to the side, afraid of the possible rejection that might come.

For a long moment she just looks blankly at him, her eyes widening. A huge smile flits across her face before she grabs the collar of this shirt, sliding closer to him and pressing her lips against his. Her fingers loosen and she lays her palms against his chest and her mind goes blank and she nearly loses herself into this seconds kiss.

Feeling her lips crush onto his for the second time, makes his heart stop. This time the kiss is more heated and he answers it with the same passion. He wraps both his arms around her and pulls her close to his body, holding her tightly as they kiss. After a long moment, which he wishes could last forever, he pulls back from it, staring into her eyes, with a bright smile on his face, before giving her one more, quick kiss. "So, I guess this means that... You probably feel the same?" he asks with a smirk on his lips, yet his voice is soft, loving and a bit unsure.

She hugs him tight while her eyes never leaving his. "You don’t know how much I want this... since so long. I though you... like someone else. You remember the game we played two days ago? When you said you like someone my heart stopped beating. I don’t know how I'm still alive, I thought someone would die when the heartbeat stops for so long", she giggles, laying her head against his chest with a happy smile on her face.

"Well, I was telling you the truth!" he chuckles, pressing a kiss on her hair. "That means that... Are we...?" he asks as he looks at her questioningly.

The blush on her cheeks turns even darker than before and she buries her face in his chest completely, nodding slowly. "I would love to.... sooo... if you want it too then... uhm.... yes?" She whispers in his chest, still hiding her face shyly.

Rakan smiles and lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "I want this, more than anything else..." he mumbles as he presses his chin on top of her head. "So I guess... We are!" he continues with excitement clear in the tone of his voice.

She raises her head up, looking back at his face, a soft but still shy smile on her lips. "You don’t know how happy I am right now. I never thought this possible", she laughs softly, brushing with her fingertips over his cheek,

He leans into her touch, closing his eyes as he hums in agreement. "Would it be okay with you, if we were to lay on the bed? It would make things more comfortable." he mumbles after a few moments.

For a small moment she thinks about, biting her lower lip. 'We laid so many times together... on the sofa while watching the movie and I'm kind of sure that I slept in his bed last night... but as couple, it's something else, isn't it?' She thinks, looking into his eyes before she throws every doubt out of the window and nods. "Let's do it", she whispers, still slightly embarrassed.

"Good, I'm feeling a little tired, you know?" he says as he drags her down with him on the bed, bringing her blanket over the both of them as he holds her close. "I had this dream last night that you were with me in my room, sharing the bed. Nothing happened! We just slept... But it felt so real! Do I sound weird?" he asks worried after a second, looking down to meet her eyes.

She hugs him tight before she loses his grip on her and slowly climbs on him, laying on his stomach and looking into his eyes, biting her lower lip. "You know... this miiiight have actually happened...", she whispers, turning her eyes away in embarrassment.

"Really?" he asks as he wraps his arms around her back, pressing her body on his. He smiles at her lovingly, yet is kind of confused 'What does she mean by that?' he asks himself 'How about asking her?' his mind shoots back. 'Good point' he decides. "What does that mean?" he continues with a soft chuckle as he tries to find her eyes with his.

She looks embarrassed into his eyes, her face turning fire red and she starts to play with a strand of her hair. "It was cold and I felt lonely... so it might be that I came to your room and uhm...", she mumbles shyly.

"So it wasn't a dream... I knew it! I was sure I knew that scent!" he says excitedly, with a bright smile on his lips.

She presses her face back into his chest, hiding with lowered ears. "I should have asked before... I'm sorry", she mumbles into his chest.

"Don't be sorry! Now you don't even have to ask. If you want to just come over, it is absolutely fine by me." his voice is soft and sounds excited at the same time. He uses one of his hands to smooth her hair, loving their flow-y feel.

Timidly she looks up, hugging him tightly. "Are you sure about this? That I should just come over without even asking? What if you are busy or I'm interrupting you or something?"

"Well... For me, since we are... You know... A couple, my room is your room and you can come in whenever you like." he explains squeezing her form in his arms. "You don't have to tell me the same, I understand that you want your privacy, I'm just saying that, this would be okay with me."

She shakes her head fast, hugging him tightly with a happy chirp. "It’s the same for me! You are always welcome", she giggles and rises up slightly, opening her bedside table as she looks for something in it. She smiles brightly when her fingers touch the cold steel. With a loving smile she takes his hand in hers, placing the small key to her room in his palm and closing his fingers around it. "You are always welcome, no matter what", she whispers as she lays down on him again.

“I would give you mine too, but I don’t have one!” he laughs. “I never really needed to close my door, I have nothing to hide. Ahri was the first one to…Kind of force me to start closing the door. I understand her reasons now, but still, I leave it unlocked, always.” He smiles at her lovingly as he takes a strand of her hair out of her face.

She smiles shyly, playing with another strand of her hair. "It's not that I could understand why you never lock the door. I'm quite the opposite." She blushes, turning her eyes away from him. "Sometimes it's getting to much for me and I just want to hide, have time for myself and be alone." Her voice is nothing more than a whisper and she bites her lower lip, before she returns her eyes at him. "But now.... Now I don't want to be alone anymore, never again... And I know that as long as I have you by my side I will not be alone anymore." She blushes shyly, still not looking at him.

"I don't want to miss you either, ever again" he mumbles as he breathes a soft kiss on her hair.

She smiles brightly at him, laying her arms on his chest and her head on top, looking at him lovingly. "This is so... I don’t know. I can't find the fitting words for it", she laughs, still looking into his eyes. "I just hope I'm not dreaming", she giggles softly.

He caresses her upper arm and then a grin appears on his lips. He stops his hand's movement and pinches her skin with very little force.

She jerks up, looking at him slightly shocked. "Hey! What was that?" Her eyes widening, she looks around in confusion, still slightly shocked.

Rakan chuckles playfully. "Just wanted to make sure you're not dreaming" he says between the laughs as he presses her against his body, squeezing slightly.

She looks at him in confusion as realization hits her. She slaps his chest playfully, shaking her head. "Rakaaan! I thought I was bitten by a mosquito or even a bee or something!"

His laugh grows louder and her reaction makes it even worse. After a few moments, when he is calm again, he looks her in the eyes. "I don't have any fitting words either, to be honest... I just know that this is perfect!" he brings his hand up to her face and caresses her cheek with his thumb.

For a moment she looks at him blankly as he laughs with her, her head tilted to the side. When he starts to caress her cheek softly, she leans forward, giving in to his touch as a soft purr escapes her throat.

Rakan hums, satisfied with his success. "How are you feeling?" he asks after some time has passed. 'With last night's nightmare she must have not slept enough...' he thinks as he continues caressing her cheek.

She mumbles in her light sleep, still smiling brightly, as she gets one of her hands buried in his top. A low clearing of a throat is audible as the door opens quietly and Ahri looks into the room. "Hey, we are- ehm, what’s going on here?" The confusion clearly audible in her voice.

Rakan's eyes widen as he looks at Ahri, his mouth keeps opening and closing, without muttering a word. 'What do I tell her? Could I tell her that we just chilled and she fell asleep?' he asks himself, as panic starts to rise inside him. 'Yeah but then she wouldn't lie on top of you, you idiot!' the voice in his mind replies. He shakes his head lightly and decides to go for the truth... Kind of... "We... Uhm... Might have decided that we like each other..." he whispers, so he doesn't wake Xayah up from her light sleep. "Like each other a lot..." he adds as he puts a stray strand of hair out of Xayah's face.

Ahri looks over her shoulder as she hears Sarah talking downstairs, with a quick movement she comes inside the room and closes the door behind herself, making sure no one else can hear them. "So... you guys", she moves her finger between the two of them "Are a couple?", she asks with a soft whisper, looking at Rakan questioning.

He looks down on Xayah, a soft smile gracing his lips and then turns back to Ahri. "Yeah. I guess you can say that." he replies with a nod.

She jumps happily, suppressing the urge to scream in happiness, just making a soft noise, clapping her hands softly together, while she makes sure that she won’t wake Xayah. "Finally! I'm so happy for both of you", she whispers cheerfully.

Rakan smiles at her brightly "You can't imagine how happy I am! I would get up and hug you, but my hands are full." he replies in a low voice as he smiles apologetically, before turning his gaze back to Xayah and kissing her hair gently.

She smiles brightly at him, nodding. "I can see it. We should celebrate!", she whispers, looking at them happily.

"Then I should wake her up..." he says happily. "Xayah..." he mumbles softly as he moves his hand up and down her back, with some more force.

For a moment Xayah doesn’t move, she mumbles tired in her sleep before she slowly opens her eyes, looking at him sleepily. "Hey darling...Did I fall asleep?", she mumbles, sleep still heavy in her voice.

"Yeah, you did, sorry for waking you up..." he starts playing with a strand of her hair and turns to look at Ahri. "We might have been... Caught..." he chuckles as he turns his eyes back on Xayah.

She looks at him in surprise, following with her eyes in the direction where he looks to, seeing Ahri standing in her room, a wide grin on her lips. "Oh crap." With a sudden movement she hides her face in his chest, hiding her embarrassment.

"What, are you embarrassed of me?" he asks with a chuckle as he holds her head comfortingly against his chest.

"No but we got caught…" she whispers softly, earning a quite laugh from Ahri in response. "Maybe we should talk about this later?", she asks them playfully.

"I think that this is not a decision I can make alone" he says, matter-of-factly. "Xayah, there is no need to be embarrassed because Ahri saw us. She is family, remember?" he moves his free hand on her back and begins tracing patterns there mindlessly.

She mumbles something, not loud enough for them to understand, before she rises up and sits on her bed, looking at Ahri, her cheeks adopting a deep red note. "It's just all so new...", she whispers, looking down on her fingers and biting her lower lip. "So what is it?", she whispers, biting her lower lip again.

"Ahri, here, suggested that we celebrate... *this*. And I was wondering if you would be okay with the others knowing about us." he mutters softly, still laying on the bed, while he looks into her eyes.

"Yes... no... I... I don’t know. Sarah would tease us and I'm not sure if I could stand this", she whispers, looking at him apologetically.

Rakan turns his gaze to look at Ahri, because he knows that there will be some form of teasing. Then with a tight smile looks back at Xayah. "Yeah she might tease us...But she means no harm, you know that. She will probably be happy for us too, just like Ahri!" he tries to explain, with a low and soft voice.

Ahri nods fast, agreeing to his words and smiling at them. "She will be happy about it, she will tease but that’s just the way she is.” she laughs softly, making sure the other two downstairs can't hear her. "You have no idea how happy I am; it was so obvious you liked each other but it took you so long to talk to each other! You spend all the time together and never told the other one how you felt. It went so far that we made sure you guys have a whole weekend for yourselves, hoping you can finally clarify your feelings towards each other. And like I see it was a full success!", she smiles cheerfully at them while Xayah’s eyes widen and she starts to blush even more, looking at her fingers and biting her lower lip.

Rakan looks at Ahri sheepishly, his mouth slightly open. 'Did they really? And was it that obvious?...Yeah it probably was' e thinks before he shakes his head with chuckle. "Guess I owe you one for this then?" he asks as he smooths Xayah's hair with one of his hands.

Ahri laughs happily, louder this time. "As long as you guys are happy we are too. Sarah and I even had a bet if you two would finally talk about it and if you would become a thing. But we couldn’t watch this anymore, we needed to give you guys a small kick in the butt so you get up and finally speak about your feelings. I think even Neeko got a hint!", she smirks, winking at him.

He nods slowly, before he shakes his head once more, a soft and happy smile graces his lips. "So you guys knew all along? Even Neeko?" he asks again staring at the flower, before he turns his gaze to Xayah. "Did you hear that Xayah?" he laughs as he pokes her arm, trying to get her attention.

With a shy smile she looks up at him, clinging against his arm and closing her eyes, nodding slowly. "Everyone knew that you guys are in love. Everyone except for yourselves." Ahri smiles, stepping closer to them and sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Are you guys happy?"

"Couldn't be happier" Rakan smiles brightly at Ahri, as he tightens his grip around Xayah.

For a short second Xayah makes a squeaking sound when he drags her closer to him, looking up into his face, a shy smile on her lips and she lays her head against his shoulder. "I think Sarah would be happy to know it too, but if you guys need a few days it’s totally okay too", Ahri giggles, looking at them happily.

Rakan turns his eyes to the door as he hears a knock and is shocked when Neeko flies into the room, but stops dead in her tracks when she sees the scene in front of her. "Why everyone is on bed? Why is Rakan in bed of Xayah?" she asks with curiosity in her eyes, as she walks a little closer to the bed. Rakan looks anxiously at Xayah, before looking back at Neeko. "Uhm, Xayah just wanted a hug, sooo here we are hugging!" he says as he tightens his hold on Xayah. Neeko smiles, understanding what is really going on, but doesn’t mention it. "Can Neeko have hug! From Rakan and Xayah!" she asks as she gets on the bed too, ready to jump in the little space between the couple.

Xayah slides closer to Rakan, making sure to close the small gap between them before she grabs Neeko by her hands, taking her on her lap, hugging her close before grabbing Ahri and dragging her to them as well.

"Oh, that was swift sister!" laughs Ahri as she brings her arms around her friends, resting her head on Rakan's shoulder. "Yeah she tends to be like that. Not very good with words, you know?" Rakan's voice is playful as he grins at Xayah, while he winks at Neeko, who rests on top of her.

Neeko giggles sweetly and tightens her grip around Xayah. “Neeko loves hugs!”

For a second Xayah looks at Rakan in surprise, poking her tongue at him. "Me too, sister…” she whispers, kissing her hair tenderly.

He moves his head forward and with a quick movement he presses a kiss on her lips. Ahri's eyes widen at the move and she has to hold in a laugh, while Neeko just squeals in excitement.

Xayah blushes as she looks at Rakan with wide open eyes, returning his kiss tenderly. When she hears Neeko’s excitement she blushes even more. "What’s going on here? Pyjama- Wow! Did you guys just *kiss*?!" Sarah asks with a smirk as she steps into the room, lured by Neeko’s excited squeal.

Rakan turns his head around to look at Sarah, his lips still in a shape resembling a kiss, before he smiles broadly. "Yeah... About that!" he starts but is interrupted by Ahri. "They finally confessed and they like each other! They are a thing!" she says, her eyes shining brightly from the happiness she feels for her friends.

With a bright grin Sarah comes over to them, putting her hand in the pocket of her pants, taking a banknote out of it and passes it to Ahri. "You know, I hate losing. But this is the first time I actually enjoy it, seeing our friends so happy is worth more than anything else", she smiles cheerfully, looking at her friends.

Ahri's smile widens as she declines the banknote. "Keep it, we both know we wanted the same thing" she winks. Neeko looks confused between the two "Why Sarah gave Ahri this?" she whispers into Xayah's ear, afraid that she might sound silly for not knowing.

"Let’s order Pizza with it?", laughs Sarah, grinning again, while Xayah bends slightly down to Neeko, whispering in her ear. "Sorry my little tomato, I have no idea either."

Neeko nods and puts her face into Xayah's hair, hiding from the others. "Did someone say pizza?" Rakan perks up and looks excited at Sarah. "Yeah sounds like a good idea Lieutenant! Who will make the call?" Ahri says while she slowly gets up from the bed.

"The Leader?" Sarah laughs, stepping closer to her friends and hugging them tightly, a warm smile on her lips. "I’m so happy for you guys. Everyone knew it’s just a matter of time", Sarah whispers lovingly.

"You know I hate calling!" pouts Ahri and then laughs when Sarah joins them. "Yeah we know Ahri, I always make the call, since I'm the most charming one around." Playfully Rakan winks at Xayah and tightens his grip around her and Neeko.

Playfully Xayah knocks her head against his shoulder, laughing softly. "Don’t be too charming, Rakan", she laughs happily before she whispers into his ear, making sure no one else then him can hear her. "You know; I don’t like sharing my most precious treasure."

"Well, I look good, cosmically good!" he chuckles before moving closer to her "And I'm yours…" he whispers before he pulls his head back, looking at Neeko who still has her face into Xayah's hair. "Is she asleep?" he asks whispering at Xayah. "She hasn't spoken for a while." Ahri notes as she gets out of the bed, picking Sarah up with her.

Sarah follows Ahri through the door and downstairs, smiling bright at her. "So leaving them for a weekend did the trick", she grins, winking at her friend. "Yes!" she squeals as she hugs Sarah tightly. "We really did it! Come now, let's get the room ready while the others deal with Neeko"

"I think she is", Xayah chirps, her eyes still on Neeko, while she brushes with her fingers over Neeko’s back, smiling at Rakan lovingly.

"If she is bothering you I can take her to my side..." he replies, his voice low enough to not wake the young guardian.

"It's fine", she whispers, cuddling closer to him and holding Neeko tight to her.

Rakan brushes his fingers over Neeko's cheek, as she purrs in her sleep and then looks at Xayah. "I hope you understand that there is no need to feel jealous right?" he asks as he looks at her worried, remembering what happened the last time he expressed his affection for their young friend.

She looks up in surprise, her face turning dark red and she bites her lower lip. "I... I thought you would like her... I was already so... So... I already liked you so much and I thought that all hope is lost and you would love her..." She whispers embarrassed, turning her head down and closing her eyes in shame.

"I do love her, just in a different way." Rakan smiles at Xayah as he holds her chin so he can breathe a kiss on her lips.

She slowly returns his kiss, a sad smile on her lips as they separate. "You know what I mean, Rakan."

"I know, don't worry and I understand, now what should we do with our cute little tomato..." he asks as he smiles at Xayah tenderly.

"Just... Let us stay like this until they call us", she whispers, still embarrassed. "I want to enjoy the time with my two most loved people around", she whispers. “It’s interesting, you know? Usually she doesn't sleep like this. Usually I have to tuck her in. She must have grown close to you too, she trusts you." Xayah looks up in surprise, her eyes shining slightly. "Really?"

"I mean, she does trust Ahri and Sarah too, but doesn't feel so close to them so she can practically sleep on them." he explains with a chuckle. At that moment Neeko mumbles something and tightens her grip around Xayah cuddling closer to her. "See what I mean?" Rakan continues as he smiles.

With a shy smile Xayah looks up into his face, still stroking Neeko’s back, giving her a short gentle kiss on her hair before she looks at him again.

At that moment there is a soft knock on the door, followed by the sound of the door opening. "Hey guys, we should order soon, come downstairs when you're ready." Ahri whispers with a smile. Rakan turns his head around to look at her and smiles back "Yeah we are on our way." he says and then turns his gaze back to Xayah. "I'll get this cutie to bed and then I'll be downstairs, you can go now if you want".

"I'll just change into some comfy clothes while you take her to bed and I’ll join you after", she smiles with a small blush

"Okay" he chuckles and gets up from the bed, walking over to Xayah's side and takes Neeko in his arms, placing her head on his shoulder. "I'll be back in a few" he whispers to Xayah and walks out of the room.

While he walks through the hallway, towards Neeko's bedroom, he feels a soft pull on the collar of his shirt and he looks down to see Neeko sleepily looking at him. "What is it dear?" he asks softly. "Neeko wants stay with Xayah." she pouts and Rakan can’t hold back a smile. "She can't do that little one, she is a little shy and you know that." he explains as he opens the room's door with his backside. 

"Neeko likes Xayah very much..." she says before a yawn escapes her and she presses a hand against her mouth. "I know, I like her a lot too" Rakan chuckles as he tucks the young guardian under the sheets, making sure every side of her is covered. When he makes sure, he kneels in front of the bed, so he is on the same level as Neeko. 

"Are you comfy?" he asks with a soft smile. "Neeko wish Xayah could come..." she replies with a disappointed undertone to her voice and Rakan sighs. "I will ask her if she can come say goodnight, alright little tomato?" he asks messing up her hair. Neeko nods.

With that he gets up and exits the room and within a few steps he finds himself in front of Xayah's door. 'Do I go in or...?' he asks himself as his hand touches the doorknob. 'What if she is changing? That would mean that I-' he stops his thoughts immediately as he feels a blush creep up his cheeks. 'I knock' he decides and then softly knocks his hand against the door. "Xayah? Can I come in?" he asks, unsure of how to act.

Her eyes widen when she hears his voice, shaking her head fast before she realizes that he can't see her. "No! I'm changing! What's up?!" She says with a high pitched voice.

"It's uhm... I need a favor..." he explains with a small voice, not wanting the others to hear him.

She takes a fluffy, wide wooly shirt on, looking in the mirror for a moment, noticing that it looks like it would be wide enough for two, but she’s still smiling. 'As soft and white as the snow', she thinks before running to the door and opening it, looking at him with a shy smile. "What is it?"

Rakan blinks his eyes, amazed at how good she looks. 'Didn't think it could get any better' he thinks as he swallows.

"Is something... Wrong?", she asks uncertain, biting her lower lip as she looks at the ground. 'Did I choose the wrong outfit? Does he hate it?', she thinks.

He shakes his head as he is pulled out of his thoughts "What? Wrong? No you just…uhm...You look cute in that shirt..." he says in a low voice, as a loving smile appears on his lips.

She blushes as she keeps looking at the floor, brushing her claws over the carpet in embarrassment. "You think so?", she whispers softly.

He studies her for a second, his heart jumping up to his throat. He takes a step closer and wraps his arms around her, holding her body tightly as he takes a deep breath, taking in her scent. "Yeah I do think so" he chuckles.

She blushes even more, returning his hug lovingly while she closes her eyes in enjoyment. When she separates from him some time later she smiles shyly. "So, dear, what's up?"

"So... Uhm... I know you don't have to...But Neeko asked if you could come and wish her goodnight?" he scratches the back of his head with one of his hands "It sounds silly, but she asked and I can't say no to her..." he continues with an apologetic smile. "It is fine if you don't want to deal with that, I can make up an excuse." he adds quickly.

She looks surprised, shaking her head with a smile. "I don't see your problem. Of course, I'm coming over to tell her good night", she giggles softly, tilting her head to the side and smiling brightly.

He looks up from the ground, smiling brightly. "Perfect, come, she is waiting". Taking her hand in his he starts to walk through the hallway until they reach Neeko's room. "Neeko, are you asleep dear?" he whispers with a soft, loving voice. After he notices some movement in the sheets, he makes out Neeko's head, just above the blanket. "Xayah came?" she asks sleepily, her voice small. Rakan turns his face to look at Xayah, the same bright smile still on his face as with a movement of his head, he nods towards Neeko.

With a shy smile Xayah walks over to Neeko, sitting on the edge of the bed, talking Neeko in a loving embrace. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are!  
Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky”, she starts, singing Neeko to sleep while she lovingly cradles her in her arms.

Neeko smiles and exhales softly, as she takes one of Xayah's hands in hers, holding it loosely. Rakan leans against the doorframe, crossing his hands above his chest, as a loving smile graces his lips.

Softly Xayah presses Neeko’s hand with hers, with her other brushing through the young guardian’s hair as she continues singing, until she hears Neeko’s relaxed breathing and her soft sigh.

Rakan hears footsteps coming from the hallway and as he turns around, he comes face to face with Ahri. He raises a finger to his mouth before she can say anything, indicating that she shouldn’t make much noise. “Xayah is putting Neeko to sleep." he explains and surprise is clear on Ahri's face. "I thought she didn't want anyone but you." she whispers, looking at him questioningly. 

"Yeah I thought so too, seems like these two have come close." Rakan whispers back with a smile. Ahri nods slowly, as she looks at the scene inside the room. "Just please, come downstairs asap, we are starving!" she pokes Rakan's shoulder, a smile playful smile gracing her lips. "Will do" he answers, not taking his eyes off the two girls.

With a tender smile Xayah looks down on Neeko, freeing herself slowly and then covers her little sister. She bends down, kissing her hair gently before she goes over to Rakan. She looks one last time at the young girl, a gentle smile on her face. "Sleep well little sister. We love you", she whispers lost in thought.

"Sweet dreams, little tomato" Rakan whispers and closes the door gently, leaving a small lamp open inside the room. When the door is closed he turns to Xayah. "Thank you." He says, with a sincere smile.

She smiles softly, placing her hand on his arm. "For what?"

"*This*" he explains "You didn't have to."

Xayah’s smile grows wider as she looks at him. "Of course I have to! She's my little sister and I love her, I would never deny her a wish, making her sad or let anything harm her." Her voice is a low whisper, love clearly audible in her voice.

Rakan smiles and holds onto Xayah's hand for a long moment, before he turns his gaze towards the stairs. "We should join the others..." he mumbles.

With a smile she nods, grabbing his hand as she places her head against his shoulder, ready to go and meet the others.


End file.
